Grade: C
Synopsis: A priest (Humphrey Bogart) confronts a warlord (Lee J. Cobb) at a mission in 1947 China.
The Left Hand of God features several things you don’t often see, including Bogart in color (he only made a handful of color films), Bogart on horseback (he looks surprisingly comfortable), and Lee J. Cobb made up as a Chinese warlord. It’s that last one that really hurts the movie.
The film’s first half works well. Bogart seems tailor made for the part of a troubled priest caught in war-torn China. Gene Tierney is passable as the female lead, and the great production values give story a heightened sense of gravitas.
Then, just when the film seems poised to make a real statement about faith and identity, it trots out Lee J. Cobb made up as a Chinese warlord, and in doing so, destroys its credibility. Though he’s nowhere near as over the top, Cobb still brings to mind Boris Karloff in West of Shanghai (1937).
Despite this near-fatal stumble, The Left Hand of God remains entertaining, largely due its brief 87 minute running time, great cinematography, and the sizable charisma of Humphrey Bogart.
Bottom Line: Despite the laughable casting of Lee J. Cobb as a Chinese warlord, Bogart fans should still enjoy this.
