Nicholas Ray

 Nicholas Ray



In a Lonely Place (1950)



RANKED:


1. In a Lonely Place (1950)


Many consider the Nicholas Ray 1950 film "In a Lonely Place" to be one of the greatest film noirs of all time. The reason for this viewpoint is because the film has such a bleak outlook and ending. Humphrey Bogart plays a Hollywood screenwriter accused of murdering a young, innocent girl. One would think that our viewing audience would watch an innocent man try to exonerate himself from this horrible crime. He does attempt to, but the viewer (along with his girlfriend) wavers on whether or not he actually did it. After all, he is an aggressive, violent, and unlikeable character. In the end, whether or not he did do it because a moot point for us and his girlfriend. Regardless of the truth, he behavior condemns him nonetheless. On top of being an examination of post-war American sentiment, as well as a critique on the pitfalls and mores of Hollywood and celebrity, "In a Lonely Place" is full of characters unable to stop self-sabotaging, resigned to their tragic fates. In the end, nobody gets any satisfaction and nobody can seem to really grow or change. Talk about bleak.

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