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Returning vet Nick Blake comes back from the war to New York to claim his sizable fortune held onto by main squeeze, lounge singer Toni (Faye Emerson). She's double crossed him however and he has to beat it out of her new boyfriend to get it back. He along with a sidekick then light out for LA where they run into old associate Pop Gruber. Gruber to his regret gets Nick involved in a scam with Doc Gabson to charm a rich socialite Gladys Halverson out of her sizable fortune. Nick and Gabson quarrel over the intended split and the down on his luck Doc is forced to accept the terms. Matters then become complicated when Nick falls for Gladys and wants out of the scheme. Using his own cash he attempts to pay off the gang members but Doc who has been nursing a grudge with Nick kidnaps Gladys and makes exorbitant demands.Nobody Lives Forever is a rather tame and dull genre piece that starts fast but slowly loses steam before crawling to its suspense drained finish. Director Jean Neglusco establishes the character of Nick and his New York situation quickly and economically with rapid editing and subtle inference fleshing out his background. Once in LA things slow measurably as the con job morphs into romance for Nick and the conflict with Gabson warms up.John Garfield is effective as the returning GI hardened but not totally disillusioned by what he's witnessed. Geraldine Fitzgerald's Gladys is impassionate and too detached to the danger around her. George Coulouris' Doc Gabson is the film's most interesting character. A petty, jealous has been of a crook relegated to working with two comically inept flunkies he laments the loss of his salad days and shows resentment for all around him with venal flare.Neglusco never lets this noir get too dark as he plays it safe most of the way with the romantic angle and lighthearted humor that dilutes the drama . Combined with its erratic pacing that makes a shambles of the film's climactic moment Nobody Lives Forever washes out in all directions.
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