By 1947, the year that Dead Reckoning was released, Humphrey Bogart had become a big deal on the Hollywood scene. “The Maltese Falcon” (1941) had made him a star, and “Casablanca” (1943) would make him a legend. In retrospect, his three films released in 1947 - including “Dark Passage” and The Two Mrs. Carrolls, would qualify him for a slump; one of the few in a remarkable career that spanned more than a quarter-century.

Truth is, even Bogart’s marginal films are noteworthy simply by virtue of his participation, and “Dead Reckoning” is no exception. In a rare break from his participation at Warner Bros. and fresh from the box-office hit “The Big Sleep” of the previous year, Bogart took on the role of war hero turned detective Captain Rip Murdock. Two of his previous three films had co-starred his wife, Lauren Bacall. According to some sources, she was to join him in “Dead Reckoning” as well, but producers nixed the idea, and relative newcomer Lizabeth Scott was given the role of ‘Dusty’ Chandler.

Presented in what would become the hallmark of film noir technique, Bogart’s voice-over narration via flashback shows us the pickle he’s in, and what got him there. While avoiding the police, he slips into a church and finds Father Logan (James Bell), and proceeds to tell the story of his buddy Sgt. Johnny Drake (William Prince) who is in line for the Medal of Honor. Faced with reporters, Drake ducks out to parts unknown for reasons likewise. Having enlisted under an alias to escape his past, he is one of a number of characters in the film who are not as they seem; another staple of the genre.

Through a combination of luck and good amateur detective skills, Murdock tracks his pal to the generic-sounding southern locale known as Gulf City, where he uncovers the details of Drake’s past plight. Before the fuzzy logic of the plot sprouts a full beard, we are treated to the principal players as they telegraph their various states of malice. As former singer ‘Dusty’ Chandler at the Sanctuary Club, Lizabeth Scott alternates between helpless victim and femme fatale; a situation she handles remarkably well considering the uneven ride the script provides.

Her former boss Martinelli (Morris Carnovsky) has plenty to hide, and his sidekick Krause (Marvin Miller) is a grinning sadistic creep who likes to “make with the music” - code for his penchant for excessive physical abuse during interrogation. Add to the mix various nefarious and sundry noir pivot points in the form of bartenders with information and cops as the enemy, and with Bogart as the pinball, we prepare for the game with some of the wackiest dialogue ever put to film.

Considering the rather conventional murder mystery set-up, “Dead Reckoning” could have played out to much better effect had the script not veered-off course and loaded itself up with silly and misogynic sensibilities and dialogue. While driving to a seaside restaurant, Bogart pulls a speech out of nowhere about the advantages of shrinking women down to pocket-sized capsules of servitude and silence, with the option to make them full-sized again “when needed”. To her credit, Scott is appropriately peeved at this nonsense, though the fact that this attitude was not far from the accepted standard at the time dates the film significantly, and weakens her role as femme fatale. To make matters worse, the script still waffles on that point, as well.

Scott provides her own voice and does an admirable job with a nightclub rendition of the rather forgettable “Either It’s Love Or It Isn’t”. There is a chemistry between these two, with enough manipulation and deception to make it all work with interest. However, with five credited screen-writers and who knows how many others stirring the pot, there are just too many incompatible ingredients in this main-dish to make it a satisfying feed. When I choose to stare at the limited-production Lincoln Continental convertible Scott is driving (easily worth six figures in today’s collector market) rather than follow the dialogue, the script needs a re-write. Scott gets extra points here for working a clutch pedal in four-inch heels.

Being the professional that he was, Bogart ignores the flaws and gives it his all in what is considered by critics to be an “important” film in his impressive catalog. Like Jackie Gleason, Bogart hated to rehearse, claiming it lessened the impact of his performance. Scott complained about this at the time to no avail, and shows none the worse for the situation. It is actually fun to see Bogart working a little harder than usual; his classic hard-boiled scenes in the morgue are as good as it gets in any film the genre has to offer. Some of the crazier dialogue may have garnered a chuckle or two when the cameras stopped rolling, but fans of Bogart in particular and film noir in general will enjoy the film for these reasons alone.

Humphrey Bogart would get back on track the following year with the release of two of his best films “The Treasure of the Sierra Madre” and “Key Largo”. Sometimes, the lesser-known and just plain lesser works of a legend can reveal more about the resolve of the actor than those best remembered. Because I am one of those who see a quality and method to Scott’s work, and because Bogart is always relevant, “Dead Reckoning” rates three-plus stars rounded off to four. If the beautiful hand-crafted Lincoln happened to get star billing in the opening credits, granting both the moon and stars would be in order.

Dead Reckoning (1947)
Producer: Sidney Biddle
Screenplay: Gerald Adams, Sidney Biddle,
Oliver Garrett, Allen Rivkin, Steve Fisher
Director: John Cromwell
Columbia Pictures
VHS: Columbia Tri-Star Home Video (1994)
DVD: Sony Pictures Home Entertainment (2003)


Recommended:
Yes

Viewing Format: VHS
Video Occasion: Good for a Rainy Day
Suitability For Children: Suitable for Children Age 13 and Older