The Blue Dahlia

It takes about 15 minutes before it finds its noir groove, but once it does it's an excellent ride. Veronica Lake's role isn't very big but she steals every scene she's in and the wonderful characterizations take care of the rest. There are a few holes in the narrative, but on the whole it flows nicely with some good turns and the dialogue gives a bunch of strong moments.

nothing to complain about, but nothing special either. this movie defines the word "OK"

Worth watching for two interesting characters: Doris Dowling's sexually agressive party-girl and William Bendix's portrayal of a traumatised war veteran prone to bouts of rage and amnesia. The rest is so-so. The plot suffers from a few too many coincidences and contrivances, compounded by the fact that Chandler was forced to accept a studio rewrite of the ending. The direction is truly uninspired; staid and workmanlike, not helped by the lack of musical score.

Middling murder mystery noir. It's a Chandler script, so you can expect the plot to be convoluted and confusing. The real problem is the lackluster direction. Marshall has no flair for this kind of thing, and the film largely fails to create any kind of atmosphere. However, there's some nice dialogue moments and it's an interesting take on returning veterans. Good performances but Veronica Lake is, as usual, a pretty face but a bland actress. Overall it's worth watching, but hardly a standout.

I like film noir. This one is good, but not one of the best.

You get a pistol whip and you get a pistol whip. Pistol whips for everyone! A little too neat ending for a film noir. Too many coincidences. How would the wife know to write on the back of that specific photo? PTSD seems a bit exaggerated. I liked the chemistry between friends and would have liked more romance or tension between the leads. More suspicion on Veronica Lake would have been great. Too much talking about possibilities in the end. Fav scene: friends chatting in apartment with Ladd.

Atmospheric crime drams with second-rate direction but a good script by Raymond Chandler.

Veronica Lake steals the show ofc

Some of the dialogue has gotten really gay with age; "Are you hot? I take care of hot boys all the time. I take care of hot boys like that (rubs his fingers together). I've been in this business a long time."

ger; [Die blaue Dahlie; The Blue Dahlia]; der soldat johnny kommt aus dem langen einsatz zurück nach hause, doch er findet seine frau trinkend und küssend mit dem besitzer eines nachtclubs an - als johnny sie dann verlässt wird alles komplizert, da sie tot aufgefunden wird und er der hauptverdächtige ist.;

Incredibly dark, and surprisingly explicit.

The pros: snappy dialogue from Chandler's pulpy pen, Bendix's performance, and Lake's femme fatale. The cons: the switcheroo plot twist that winds up being more convoluted than necessary, and the fact that the two (original) couples in the story don't seem like they ever would have gotten along for longer than they're together here. Ultimately, it was a bit disappointing.

Decent movie but nothing that particularly captured me.

An okay film noir, has some funny parts but on the whole it's pretty underwhelming.

Not the greatest noir in generating tension, but the overall atmosphere is great. Not many dull moments either, and solid acting performances all round.

My favourite pairing of blonde bombshell Veronica Lake and Alan Ladd. A moody film noir in 1940s' Malibu. If you like "The Big Sleep" you'll like this.

Very sound noir with a great atmosphere, though it can get a bit convoluted at times and there feels like there's less tension than there should be. I think I liked it more as a movie than the 1942 Ladd/Lake pairings of This Gun for Hire and The Glass Key, though it's also in a way less interesting, if that makes sense. Would have liked for it to have more of Lake. It's a somewhat uncommon "on the run" movie in that the cops aren't idiots. Solid but unspectacular.

Didn't mind the pace and it had my attention the entire time. But the 3rd proper pairing of Alan Ladd & Veronica Lake was kinda quiet and unspectacular. Certainly a smart script with several intriguing characters and no dumb cop routine for this low-key murder chase. I really liked it, but it's a step down from their two 1942 pairings.