Somewhere In The Night DVD, 1946

Joseph L. Mankiewicz's third film, a gripping noir thriller, is often neglected in retrospectives of his work, a surprising oversight given its snappy pace, sinister ambience and strong performances. It stars John Hodiak as an amnesiac war veteran whose only clues to his identity lie in two letters found in his coat pocket. He travels to LA to try and track down one of the letter’s authors, and stumbles into a mystery involving murder and a $2 million stash of Nazi loot.
Mankiewicz makes excellent use of ominous locations, including seedy bars, a fortune-teller's cabin and, in a nightmarish sequence, an asylum. The discovery of the money under a creaky pier is also a masterclass in tension. A strong range of character actors fill up the colourful supporting roles, with Margo Woode a particular stand-out as an unusually brash femme fatale. There is also a poignant scene, unusual in a noir, featuring the wonderful Josephine Hutchinson (North By Northwest) as a suffer of Alzheimer’s who may hold a clue to the mystery. And watch out for the witty reference to Double Indemnity…

Alex Davidson on 12th March 2007
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