Grade: C+
Synopsis: With the help of a district attorney (Humphrey Bogart), a clip-joint hostess (Bette Davis) testifies against her mobster boss.
Marked Woman is loosely based on the story of mobster Charles “Lucky” Luciano, who was convicted on prostitution charges in 1936, though the script by Abem Finkel and Robert Rossen isn’t really concerned with historical accuracy as much as playing off the newspaper stories of the day.
To their credit, however, Finkel and Rossen deliver a fairly edgy script for their time. Women are beaten and killed, and despite the protagonists being designated as “hostesses,” there are clear hints of prostitution. Further, they resist the urge to tack on any kind of romantic sub-plot for Davis’ character, thus upping the film’s credibility.
With a solid script behind her, Bette Davis delivers her customarily headstrong performance. She eclipses all of her costars in terms of charisma, including a rather flat Humphrey Bogart who, aside from notably playing a good guy, barely registers. But Davis makes up for it in spades, and the film rolls through its 96-minute running time rather quickly.
Bottom Line: Though something of an oddity for Warner Bros. at the time, this crime-thriller with a predominantly female cast works thanks to a good script and a solid performance from Bette Davis.
