An alcoholic, has-been Hollywood screenwriter (Humphrey Bogart) with a reputation for being quick tempered brings home brings the nightclub's coat check girl to summarize the inane book he's supposed to be adapting. Soon he finds himself a prime suspect in her murder but is defended by an eyewitness (Gloria Grahame) with whom he soon forms a toxic relationship. Nicholas Ray's In a Lonely Place is sharp, cynical, and funny, with crisp black and white photography, a dark, potentially inward looking turn from Bogart, and a great performance from Grahame.
**** out of ****
