More people will probably remember Delmer Daves' Dark Passage for its perspective and storytelling techniques than for its actual story. Roughly the first hour of Dark Passage is told from the first-person perspective of Vincent Parry (Humphrey Bogart), a man who escapes from San Quentin after being wrongfully convicted of killing his wife. He is rescued from the police by Irene Jansen (Lauren Bacall), whose only motivation is that she hates when people are wrongfully convicted for crimes they didn't commit. Believing that Parry is innocent, she helps him escape. Afterwards, Parry undergoes plastic surgery to evade the authorities. One of the film's best (and most unintentionally funny) moments is when they finally reveal Parry's post-op face to be none other than Bogart's normal face. After getting "fixed," Parry goes out to find out who actually murdered his wife. But he must also avoid two-bit crooks and cops who are eager to turn him in for the substantial reward that the state has put on his head. It's a fine example of film noir with all of the most important criteria falling into place: the man who can't escape his past, the deadly femme fatale, and lyrical cinematography. But again, it is impossible to consider this film without analyzing the gimmick that propels its first hour. Is it worth it? Well, it certainly puts us into the mind of Parry and ups the suspense. But there are other noir that manage to do the exact same thing without relying on such a tactic. But, as it stands, it does nothing to hurt the film. So at the end of the day, Dark Passage is a great noir. And how could you possibly go wrong with a film that pairs up Bogie and Bacall?
7/10
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