Genuine film noir. Not because it's stuffed with all the usual noir conventions but because it just feels like true noir. The hopelessness, disillusionment and general sense of pessimism is conveyed perfectly. Besides that, Bogart has never been better and that alone should make you check this out immediately.

It's alright. It was fun to watch Bogart play such a misogynistic prick, but otherwise my memory of the film atrophied quickly. Nothing stood out as all that impressive, least of all its story. Film noirs are always populated with despicable anti-heroes, so even with Bogart I can't say I found this to be all that special.

Dixon Steele is a fantastic character. A violent drunk who flies off the handle at the drop of a hat and buys people gifts after he beats their ass. A brilliant anti-hero played to perfection by Bogart, who somehow manages to give the character a degree of sympathy even though we all know he's a turd (why is it Dix we feel sorry for when he hits the agent guy?). The title of the film is interesting - in the beginning it describes the dead girl, but by the end we know who it really refers to.

(DVD rewatch)

Nicholas Ray's 1950 film deserves to be better known; it's one of Hollywood's finest examinations of masculinity.

Bogart is truly amazing in this one!

An intriguing and dark romance. Bogart is perfect playing the character Dixon Steele, somehow managing to be both admirable and frightening. The atmosphere Ray crafts is brilliant, and the conflict it creates is thrilling. A relentless watch from start to finish; messing with your mind and mood throughout. Put simply, an awesome film; my eyes were wide. "I was born when she kissed me. I died when she left me. I lived a few weeks while she loved me." Classic.

There are plenty of films that just make you laugh, or just pull at the heartstrings, or just show you a fascinating character in great detail, or just have you gripped wondering whether some big twist is around the corner that you'd never have expected (regardless of whether there actually is a twist, the grip is what matters not so much the payoff), and In a Lonely Place one ups all those films by doing all these things at once. Also Bogart is amazing here.

Haunting and devastating noir featuring a knockout performance by Bogart and some great, incisive dialogue. My only problem are the film's attempts to make Bogart sympathetic (e.g. buying the girl flowers after acting blase in front of the cops) which feel forced, and Grahame's remark to the effect of "He gets so angry, but he always buys me presents the next day!" illustrates a dated outlook that mars the film. But if you can get past that, it's very intriguing and has a wonderful ending

Atmospheric black and white. Bogart creates an interesting character that kept me wondering until the end.

It's the greatest part played by Bogart, I guess, but we have to give all the credit to Nick: he forces you too look at Dix and see both a mad and a miserable man. We know things just won't gonna work out. But you want too look at him -- and also at Laurel -- either way.

"Like Albert Camus' The Stranger, In a Lonely Place is the epitome of existentialist primers." - Ed Gonzalez

i read somewhere that it was bogey's idea to make himself a complete nut job, and holy crap he did. there's a hint here and there at the beginning, but by the end he makes you cringe.

#292

The acting and character development was excellent here. My favorite classic noir.

Excellent. Bogart was terrific.

One of the best film noirs, and by far the best Ray I've seen. Possibly Bogart's best performance, too.

Quite tense melodrama that evinces a fair deal of complexity (and reflexivity) in the course of its examination of a certain type of masculinity. Good performances and some good dialogue; perhaps not quite the masterpiece that more recent audiences have thought it to be, but certainly an interesting and unusual movie.

Generic and contrived film noir with bad acting and a lot of stupid lines. It's basically a Bogart vehicle worshiped by adherents of the Bogart religion, but the guy isn't really convincing as either a movie screenwriter or a killer. As usual, he is just playing the character of Bogart, stuffy and hammy all at once and with that slight lisp. Nothing special.

Possibly Bogart's best performance. His character is charming yet vile and while this could be said about a few of his roles, its taken to new heights here and the result is incredible. Gloria Grahame is also quite good and Nicholas Ray directs with the finesse of a professional. A great film all in all.

This film is haunted by subtle whisps of unease that thicken until everything balances on the edge of disaster, and then it collapses with unexpected grace. Steele is the most dynamic I've ever seen Bogart, on what seems to be the brink of madness, clouded with suspicion, slowly being consumed by the dark side of his character. I was initially concerned by his waxing misogyny, but it proved to be reflective commentary that contrasts Steele's tyranny with Nicolai's collaborative relationships.

Fantastic performances and dialogue. The character development in this film is wonderful, and the ending is perfect.

Humphrey Bogart is the man.

An excellent character study of a noir; though the tension can be flat at times, Bogart's performance as a misogynist heel carries the movie along. There's never really any doubt about the murder plot, but Dixon Steele is so despicable that it raises some questions. Well worth a look.