"I was born when she kissed me. I died when she left me. I lived a few weeks while she loved me."
"This is one of Bogart's better films but is rarely seen or discussed. I really can't understand why as it's a wonderful Film Noir-style movie with exceptionally exciting dialog and some very clever writing.
Bogart plays a strange and complex character--a man who writes screenplays. At times, he's affable and decent, and at other times he's violent and cruel--getting into fights at the drop of a hat. But regardless, he was always cynical and spouted great dialog in whichever mood struck him.
Towards the beginning of the film a young lady is murdered and the evidence points mainly to Bogart. Now the writers and director COULD have chosen to make it very clear to the audience what actually occurred, but there is definitely plenty of reason for the audience to suspect Bogart DID kill her and it isn't spelled out for you. Oddly, through much of the film it seemed like Bogart's character was doing everything he could to prove he might have done it! The only witness who could throw doubt on Bogart's guilt is a neighbor played wonderfully by Gloria Graham. Interestingly enough, Ms. Graham often played "trashy dames" in films but this time, she sported a more conservative style of hair and makeup. She was still a bit of a Noir "dame", but definitely smart and with a lot of class.
After providing Bogart with an alibi, the two oddly fall in love. She is firmly convinced of his innocence, though it is STILL possible that Bogart did kill the girl. And, as the film unfolds and Bogey shows an amazingly volatile temper, Graham becomes afraid of him--setting up a wonderful conclusion to the film.
The best aspects of the film were the great dialog (it just sounded so gritty and cool--like a Noir flick), interesting and unique script as well as the building tension--almost like a Hitchcock film. I also liked that, for once, the film kept me guessing!"
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