AaronIgay

The lively opening tacked-on credits scene with kids showing off how cool and rebellious they are while dancing to the John Barry groovy crime jazz theme will drag you in, and there is just about enough in here to keep you watching, but really only just enough. Don't worry if you miss any of the opening credits scene, it will be repeated later, and even that great theme song grows tired by the end of the film. The highlight is young minx Gillian Hills whose great performance makes me wonder why her career after this film consists of small parts and the odd TV show. I have a strange feeling the story of her life would make a much better film than this one. It's impossible to miss Oliver Reed as the non-speaking "Plaid Shirt" beatnik, and it's historically interesting to see just how much the British censors would let slide back then.

I'm a self-described noir nut and 9 out of 10 is basically my highest rating. That is except for those rare few films that touch me emotionally in a permanent way. 'In a Lonely Place' I saw for the first time on the big screen at a revival house about twenty years ago. When the curtain closed I literally couldn't move from my seat for several minutes. Since then I have revisited it dozens of times and it still turns me into a blubbering mess every time. Lots has been written about the style, setting, performances, dialogue, I'm sure it's all brilliant, but I am always too involved in the story to be bothered with any of that. So I'm not really going to review it properly since I can't be objective. For normal folks, who won't feel like they got hit with a ton of bricks by the end, I'm sure you will still be greatly entertained. But for nuts like me, watch out, it just might change your life.

There are just too many problems with this film for me to flip out about it like everybody else seems to. I don't think it should even be referred to as a pure noir. I have watched both versions and read the Cliff notes and the plot just about makes sense to me now. So OK forget the plot then, it is often less important than the style in noir. But the style isn't particularly memorable, it could have been a lot seedier even with the code restrictions. There is some great noir dialogue, at least in the 1946 released version, that alone clearly makes it worth seeing. I can't say if it the worst of the classic Philip Marlowe film adaptations but it is certainly not the best.