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33 out of 47 people found the following comment useful :- Postwar Bogart in a Derivative Yet Gripping Film Noir, 13 August 2004 Author: Dorian Tenore-Bartilucci (dtb) from Whitehall, PA
If Humphrey Bogart had ever decided to film one of Mickey Spillane's Mike Hammer thrillers, it would have turned out something like 1947's DEAD RECKONING. Although it's not actually based on a book, John Cromwell's tautly-directed film noir owes more than a little of its plotting and characterization to earlier classic crime novels-turned-classic Bogart movies. Indeed, when my husband Vin entered the room while the film was on, he began watching it with me and soon asked, "Is this THE BIG SLEEP, or THE MALTESE FALCON?" However, DEAD RECKONING is steeped in the kind of bitter post-war viciousness that distinguished Mickey Spillane's writing -- not that there's anything wrong with that! :-) Bogart commands the screen as Rip Murdock, a former Army paratrooper (lots of colorful references to parachutes and jumping here) and one of the most misogynistic good guys he ever played (not that you can blame Rip, after the wringer he's put through in this film). Captain Rip starts out trying to find out why his Sergeant and pal Johnny Drake (William Prince) has a Yale pin with the name "John Joseph Preston" on it, and more importantly, why Johnny bolts rather than accept the Congressional Medal of Honor for his wartime heroism. Rip's investigation leads him to Gulf City, Tropical Paradise of the South (don't take my word for it, check out the neon sign in the upper right-hand corner of the screen in the opening establishing shot :-), where he's quickly sucked into a whirlpool of secrets, double-crossing, murder, and such inventive mayhem as tossing napalm-powered Molotov cocktails at sinister smoothie Morris Carnovsky and his psycho henchman Marvin (THE MILLIONAIRE) Miller to make them talk. Standing in for quintessential Bogart leading lady Lauren Bacall (and original leading lady Rita Hayworth, who was hung up making THE LADY FROM SHANGHAI) is Lizabeth Scott as mysterious chanteuse Coral Chandler, the kind of dame guys go gaga for against their better judgment (she's got so many pet names from her various beaus that the first time I saw the film, I wasn't quite sure if her name was "Coral," "Dusty," or, of all things, "Mike"!). While Scott's no Bacall (don't get me wrong, Scott fans, I like her, but to my ears, her husky voice always sounds more phlegmy than sultry. Every time Scott speaks, I half-expect someone to offer her a cough drop!), she's certainly chock full of luminous blonde beauty, plus Scott has an air of wounded vulnerability that makes me empathize with her in spite of myself. Sometimes the film is gloriously, deliriously nutzoid. For instance, Bogart's speech to Scott early on about how men should be able to reduce women to pocket-size when necessary, and Scott's interpretation of this theory, must be heard to be believed. But when DEAD RECKONING works, it's dynamite (literally, when Bogart and Scott join forces with safecracker/explosives expert Wallace Ford)! Even when things get ugly, this movie is always gorgeous to look at, thanks to the stunning use of shadows and light in Leo Tover's black-and-white photography. If you love Bogart and you like your film noir grim yet glamorous and over-the-top at times, DEAD RECKONING is well worth a look.
27 out of 41 people found the following comment useful :- Good Start & Finish But Uninvolving Overall, 5 May 2006 Author: ccthemovieman-1 from Lockport, NY, United States
The bulk of this film, the middle of it, was just too slow for me, hence the so-so rating. The beginning and endings were very good, especially several scenes in the final half hour. There were several twists concerning Lizabeth Scott's character that kept you guessing.There were other things going for this film, such as Humphrey Bogart's narration. He had a lot of good lines in here, either narrating or talking to others. He and Scott were the stars but some of the supporting players also were great, such as Morris Carnovsky as the tough-guy aide, "Martinelli. " Also, they may not be big names but Charles Cane, William Prince, Marin Miller, Wallace Ford and James Bell all added nice performance here.Yet, with all this going for it, I didn't find the film as involving as it should have been. Perhaps another look someone will change my mind.
15 out of 19 people found the following comment useful :- A long way behind "Gilda" in likability…, 10 April 2005 Author: ironside (robertfrangie@hotmail.com) from Mexico
*** This comment may contain spoilers ***
"Dead Reckoning" is somewhat of a rehashing of the plots and dialog of "The Maltese Falcon" and "The Big Sleep," but it contains much more visual violence… It is a typical Hollywood film noir of the post-war but a long way behind "Gilda" in likability… Bogart is again portraying his now all-too-familiar role of the sardonic cynic with his own moral code who, this time, is on the trail of a killer who has murdered a wartime paratrooper friend… Lizabeth Scott is cast as Bogart's femme fatale, obviously hoping to exploit her close resemblance to Lauren Bacall… Unfortunately, like Bacall, her first few films found her equally awkward and expressionless…
20 out of 30 people found the following comment useful :- Femme fatale, 10 October 2004 Author: jotix100 from New York
John Cromwell was a director that aimed to please, as demonstrated by the films he left behind. "Dead Reckoning" is a film that is satisfying while one is watching it, but later on, in retrospect, we question a lot of what we have seen as the plot doesn't make sense in many ways. All the elements of the Film Noir genre can be found in it. We have a war hero Rip, who is investigating the disappearance of his buddy, who he watches running away from a train in order not to testify with him in Washington. The action takes us to a Southern coastal town, where supposedly, the escapee has gone to. Little prepares Rip to find his friend burned to death in the morgue.Thus begins a tale of deception that has lots of interesting twists. The film benefits from its two stars, who play a game that on the surface seems to be one thing, and with a surprising twist at the end, turns out to be something else.Humphrey Bogart excelled in movies like this. He is tough, but he has time to have a great rapport with Dusty, the former singer at the local night club. Lisabeth Scott plays the siren with an air of mystery. It comes as a big surprise what happens at the end.Morris Carnovsky, a great theater actor of the time, is Martinelli, the crooked owner of the night club. Also a young William Prince plays the man who ran away to find a tragic fate by doing so.
16 out of 23 people found the following comment useful :- Brutal Film Noir, 31 January 2004 Author: Don W from Long Island Motor Parkway
One of Bogart's best, a brutal Film Noir with a surprising ending, & filled with sharp, witty dialog. Lizabeth has never looked more beautiful than here, & although her acting ability is overmatched by Bogart, she would improve in her later films & she's adequate in this role. There's glimpses of the basic "Maltese Falcon" plot here: Bogey searches out & seeks revenge for his partner, even some of the dialog is similar in that respect. If you like Bogart or if you like Film Noir, you can't go wrong with this one! And by the way, this is a REAL Film Noir, not in the newer use of this phrase (recently, people have been calling any B&W crime drama made in the 1940s a "Film Noir"). This film has all the classic Film Noir elements: lots of shadows & stark contrasts (in the beginning, Bogart speaks from shadows so dark that one can hardly see his face), a spoken narrative, a "hero" who works outside the law, a murder mystery, & a heroine who may not be a heroine.
15 out of 22 people found the following comment useful :- A Neglected, Atmospheric Noir, 3 May 2000 Author: mackjay from Out there in the dark
While it may not be one of the all-time greats, "Dead Reckoning" is neglected even in the Noir category. Most viewers see it because of Bogart. There is good reason: any doubts about his acting ability are erased by this performance. He really had a gift for delivering the archetypal Noir dialogue with which this film is loaded.Other cast members--Prince, Scott, Carnovsky--are very good. And a particular brand of Noir brutality plays a noteworthy role in this tale. But the main recommendation here is for the LOOK of the film. This is a prime example of Film Noir atmosphere at its most evocative. The opening shot of "Gulf City" at night is so beautiful, you want it to last much longer; Bogart's "confession" to the priest that frames the story in flashback is heavily shrouded in darkness; and the numerous nocturnal hotel scenes are threatening and darkly suggestive.Worth seeing for a not too-convoluted plot, Bogart, and the atmosphere.
14 out of 21 people found the following comment useful :- Film Noir at is Bogey Best, 11 January 2002 Author: Anyanwu from Los Angeles, CA
The one liners; the dialogue that stops mid sentence; the black & white look; tough double crossin dames. This is great film noir or whatever its called. Bogey gets even. And Lizbeth Scott has the best voice this side of L. Bacall. Nice overbite. This is a good one to curl up and watch with the rain pounding outside. Too bad I live in this God forsaken So Cal where it never rains.
13 out of 20 people found the following comment useful :- Avenging A Pal, 2 November 2006 Author: bkoganbing from Buffalo, New York
Humphrey Bogart and William Prince should be psyching themselves up for the big moment of their lives in Dead Reckoning. Bogey's put Prince up for the Congressional Medal of Honor. But Prince doesn't react to that quite the way one would expect. He jumps the train in Philadelphia on the way to Washington, DC and disappears and Bogey starts his own hunt for him and an explanation.The trail leads to Prince's hometown and Bogey learns that Prince was fleeing a murder rap when he joined the service. There's a girl involved to, Lizabeth Scott who Columbia was trying to build up into their version of Lauren Bacall. Of course the best way to do that was team her with Humphrey Bogart. Prince also winds up dead and Bogey's really on a mission now.Dead Reckoning borrows very heavily from The Maltese Falcon in terms of Bogart's character motivation. He was avenging a partner, admittedly one he wasn't crazy about, in The Maltese Falcon. Here he's looking for answers and vengeance on whoever might have murdered his war time buddy. That was a common theme in a lot of post World War II films. The audience, heavily populated with veterans, could understand Bogart's motivation back then easily.And because Humphrey Bogart is such a skilled player, today's audience can appreciate it. Dead Reckoning is not the best of Humphrey Bogart's films, but it's still entertaining.By the way, the ending confrontation is also out of The Maltese Falcon, though a bit more violent.
14 out of 22 people found the following comment useful :- Deja Vu All Over Again, 5 September 2002 Author: telegonus from brighton, ma
One can't help wondering, while watching this movie, whether one has seen it before. Not for the first time is Bogart out to avenge a friend's death. He's gone after polished, Continental Mr. Big types before, too; and Lizabeth Scott looks an awful lot like Lauren Bacall. Some of the dialogue seems to have been lifted in toto from earlier Bogart films. Yet for all this, Dead Reckoning is still entertaining. Its cliches are at least agreeably packaged, and the setting, the Gulf Coast South, is unusual. Bogart brings sublime integrity to his world-weary and life-battered persona, and however artificial and predictable the story might be, the star's authenticity is absolute. One believes what's going on because one believes Bogart. This kind of thriller, which now falls under the general rubric of film noir, was losing a little steam by this time. For one thing, Morris Carnovksy's character of Martinelli had been done to death in the previous five years by everyone from Sydney Greenstreet to Otto Kruger. Marvin Miller's hulking, seemingly emotionally disturbed thug had become a commonplace fixture in such films; and while Miller is unique in his heavy-set, Orson Wellesian appearance, there's little that's new here, either. One can imagine script conferences of the day, with young screenwriters falling over one another trying to come up with a new psychological "complex" for the bad guy to be suffering from. Fortunately for the viewer, cliched though this movie is, it was made with extreme professionalism. Leo Tover's cinematography is understated, and nicely suggests the equatorial. John Cromwell was an old stage and movie pro by this time, though his usual magical touch with actors failed him with Miss Scott, he handles the tough guy stuff with suave authority.
14 out of 23 people found the following comment useful :- Unoriginal but enjoyable noir, 1 June 2003 Author: amhnorris from New York, NY
This movie, while certainly not the best film noir, certainly would be an ideal introduction to the genre, in large part because of its blatant banality. It does not even attempt to elaborate or subvert any of the genre's themes, so in that sense is ideal for someone wanting to get a feel of a film noir. All of the noir ingredients are there: man returning from war, femme fatale, flashback narrative, gambling, seedy clubs, suspicion, paranoia, etc. I've never seen Lizabeth Scott in anything else so can't really comment on her, but my goodness she seems to be trying to do her best Lauren Bacall impression. Certainly she's no Bacall, Lake, Gardner or even Turner, but is passable in her performance as the femme fatale. The plot is more complicated than someone used to contemporary movies may expect, and one certainly needs to pay a lot of attention to it. That being said, it can work in the same way as 'The Big Sleep' (a much superior film) if one disregards the plot and just soaks in the atmosphere. The city at night shots at the movie's beginning are incredible, probably the photographic highlight of the entire movie. I've read criticism about the direction and lighting in the sense that it switches between light and dark. I think that it is supposed to work in the same way that a movie such as 'Mildred Pierce' works in the sense that the juxtaposition between light and dark represents the character's state of mind. So in a scene where Bogie is content with Scott, the colors are extremely light, representing his state of mind. More suspicious scenes are thereby darker. I don't know, just a theory, and even if this was the director's intention its debatable as to whether its effectively achieved.All in all, an enjoyable noir, certainly recommended for fans of the genre, just don't expect any originality.
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