In a Lonely Place

A woman (Gloria Grahame) alibis her screenwriter neighbor (Humphrey Bogart) accused of murder, and then begins having doubts.

In a Lonely Place is a near-brilliant movie that’s unfortunately, bogged down by two critical flaws.

The first is director Nicholas Ray’s insistence on casting his then-wife, Gloria Grahame, as the female lead. She’s the weak link in a great cast, made all the more obvious by Bogart’s excellent against-type performance. Likely compounding the problem is the fact that Ray and Grahame split during filming, but kept it secret from the crew. With Ray likely walking on eggshells around his now ex-wife, its no wonder her performance is all over the place.

The second flaw is the ending. The original script called for a much more somber finale that, while perhaps less crowd-friendly, would have been much more satisfying, especially on repeat viewings.

Those flaws aside, In a Lonely Place is wonderfully photographed and features one of Bogart’s best performances.