Dark Passage

• Title: Dark Passage
• IMDb: link

The weakest of the four movies starring Humphrey Bogart and Lauren Bacall, Dark Passage is more memorable for its set-up than its film noir story. Bogart stars as wrongly-convicted murderer Vincent Parry who escapes prison in the opening scene. “Star” might be a bit of a stretch as Bogart isn’t seen in the first third of the film, and when he does show up his face is under heavy bandages for another 10 minutes.

After his escape is helped by an unlikely source (Becall), Parry is directed to a plastic surgeon (Houseley Stevenson) who helps the supply the man on the run with a new face allowing the movie to move away from the first-person point-of-view of the first 40-minutes and allow Bogart to appear on-screen.

Over the remainder of the film Bogart and Becall’s characters will grow closer while Parry uncovers the truth of the murders he is excused of and find some measure of justice and happiness. Re-released on Blu-ray and DVD, extras include a featurette on the film’s history and the movie’s trailer.

[Warner Archive Collection, Blu-ray $21.99 / DVD $19.97]