Dead Reckoning

Middle rank film, top Bogart.

When Rip's (Humphrey Bogart) army pal Johnny does a runner from the train taking them to Washington, it's the start of a shadowy street search that Rip undertakes to find out why his friend would do that. It soon becomes evident that Johnny was not who he said was, something that makes Rip's journey one that will involve murder, deception and one hell of a dame.

Dead Reckoning has a mixed relationship with critics and Bogart/noir fans alike. Some are harsh on Lizabeth Scott who plays femme fatale Coral Chandler, while others have issues with the plot, calling it rambling and incoherent to the dialogue on offer. I disagree with both those things. Scott is just fine for what is a wonderfully well written c...

When his best pal absconds on his way to pick up a Medal of Honour, "Rip" (Humphrey Bogart) determines to get to the bottom of things. They'd been flown home from Germany and given some fairly VIP treatment, so there must have been a good reason for "Johnny" (William Prince) to do a bunk - but he did leave some clues, and as "Rip" attempts to piece things together he encounters his pal's love interest "Dusty" (Lizabeth Scott). After scrutinising the local newspaper archives, he realises that his erstwhile colleague and this woman have a bit of history, and that takes them both to the casino of the distinctly dodgy "Martinelli" (Morris Carnovsky) where her behaviour becomes even more enigmatic. When he wakes up in an drug-induced haze next m...