Dead Reckoning (1947) - film review

After World War II, paratroopers Rip Murdock and Johnny Drake are on their way back to Washington, looking forward to their return to civilian life.   When he learns that he is to be awarded a medal for his wartime exploits, Drake suddenly disappears, leaving Murdock baffled.  Anxious for his friend’s well-being, Murdock tracks him down to where he was last seen, Gulf City, only to find he was burned to death in a car accident.  Convinced that foul play was involved, Murdock makes further investigations and learns that just before he joined the army, Drake was charged with the murder of a man named Chandler.  One of the witnesses at Drake’s trial was a waiter named Louis, who works at a nightclub owned by Martinelli.  At the nightclub, Murdock runs into Chandler’s wife, Coral, to whom he is instantly attracted.  Certain that Martinelli holds vital evidence that will clear his friend’s name, Murdock makes his move, not realising that Coral may be less reliable than she seems...

If there were ever an award for the most tortuous and convoluted film noir plot, this would certainly be a strong contender (although Howard Hawks’ incomprehensible The Big Sleep (1946) might just have the edge).  Dead Reckoning has all the familiar stylistic trappings of the classic film noir thriller but somehow manages to feel different – partly because the screenwriters made more of an effort to give greater depth to the characters, rather than fall back on the familiar stereotypes, admittedly with mixed results.   The murky labyrinthine plot aside, Dead Reckoning is a pretty respectable example of 1940s film noir, with some strong performances, slick direction from John Cromwell, and some stylish and highly effective use of chiaroscuro cinematography.  Of course, the real attraction is a certain actor named Humphrey Bogart.

At this stage in his career, Humphrey Bogart had become closely identified with one kind of role – that of the hard boiled film noir hero who, despite his cynical, thick-skinned outer shell, made an easy victim for any passing femme, no matter how fatale she would turn out to be.   Bogart was made for this kind of role and some would argue that it was the only role in which he genuinely excelled.   Dead Reckoning may not give us Bogart’s best performance but he certainly holds our attention, and whatever other faults the film may have it certainly isn’t lacking in star power.  Rita Hayworth was originally considered for the leading female role, but she declined when Orson Welles hired her for The Lady from Shanghai (1947), and so the part went to the far less well-known Lizabeth Scott.  Although Scott is a capable and attractive actress, she lacks charisma and the lack of any real on-screen chemistry between herself and Bogart is the film’s one weak point.  Squinting and pretending that she is Lauren Bacall doesn’t really work.

© James Travers 2008

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