Somewhere in the Night

Entertainment Weekly - 09/15/2005
"[O]ne of the first films Joseph L. Mankiewicz directed, and the only one Lee Strasberg ever helped write....It's a loony, enjoyably overwrought ride while it lasts."

A man awakens in a Honolulu hospital with no memory of his identity. He has three personal items: a wallet, a letter from an angry ex-lover, and a note from one Larry Cravat, an apparent business associate. Searching for Cravat, the amnesiac heads to Los Angeles, enlisting the help of a saloon singer (Nancy Guild), he boss (Richard Conte) and a police lieutenant (Lloyd Nolan). When he starts asking questions, he's blindsided by goons and chased by cops...but ultimately makes a shocking discovery. This exciting drama will keep you guessing until the very end.

Director Joseph L. Mankiewicz produced work within numerous filmic genres, yet always retained his personal touch, which he developed in order to explore and analyze the self-conscious characters he created. SOMEWHERE IN THE NIGHT is his film noir--although many of his movies exhibited a noir-ish tone--and unfolds in post-WWII L.A. George Taylor (John Hodiak, THE PEOPLE AGAINST O'HARA) is a soldier who returns from the war after a grenade left him alive but without his memory. All he has to go on is his name and a letter from an old girlfriend, informing him of how much she hates him. Taylor sets about attempting to locate his lost identity, finding a note informing him that his "friend" George Cravat has deposited $5,000 to his account. When Taylor goes to claim it, he triggers a stream of encounters with people who he has apparently double-crossed in some way, but enlists the aid of a sympathetic cabaret singer who knew his former girlfriend. The plot is full of twists that keep the suspense level at top notch, and the cast of B-actors all turn in fine performances, creating a classic, moody noir with dashes of comedy. John Ireland (LITTLE BIG HORN, THE BUSHWHACKERS) narrates.

Film Noir | Los Angeles, California | Money | Murder | Murder Investigations | Murder Mysteries | Nazis

Genre:

• Mystery & Thriller Movies

Movie Categories:

• Dramas