Beat the Devil (1953) - 3/5

This movie is not quite funny enough to justify the detour, but if it’s your brand of comedy of course you’ll get more mileage for your money. The story is darkly whimsical, the double infidelity subplot played for a laugh rather than impact, and all the backstabbing from the protagonist crew is more of a punchline than a plot point. Unfortunately, the film’s tone never seems to understand it’s a comedy.

Closest comparison: It’s like a cross between The Holiday and Treasure of the Sierra Madre.

Setting: Adventure
Plot: Crime
Tone: Comedy

Key Largo - 3/5

This movie is a stock Noir genre title, not great and not terrible. The tension, story, and even delivery are all uninspired. Even bankable stars like Humphrey Bogart, Lauren Becall, and Edward G. Robinson are phoning it in.

Closest comparison: It’s like a much tamer Funny Games by way of To Have and Have Not.

Setting: Adventure
Plot: Thriller
Tone: Thriller

Dead End (1937) - 4/5

This movie takes place during a single day at the end of a waterfront alley in New York, and it delivers on the “knife fight in a phone booth” style of living the various classes of people living there endure every day. The stories weave together nicely to create a stage-play-esque tapestry that balances between the conflict of pathos and the catharsis of justice. It commands strong audience engagement and has a strong ending that may surprise you.

Closest comparison: It’s like Do The Right Thing by way of The Petrified Forest.

Setting: Sitcom
Plot: A Day in the Life
Tone: Crime Noir

The Maltese Falcon (1941) - 4/5

This movie hits all the film noir staples, from the world-weary private eye hired by a dame at the end of her rope, to the twisting larger-than-life narrative. It stays very close to the source material, which portrays its protagonist as if Dashiell Hammett had Humphrey Bogart in mind. Its characters are complex and subtle, so casual viewers will be easily lost, but a more attentive audience will be rewarded with an intricate web of lies and deceit. There’s no substitute for the golden dialogue delivery and pre-war era style that easily cements itself as a time-tested classic.

Closest comparison: It’s like a less sleazy Chinatown by way of The Big Sleep (1946).

Setting: Drama
Plot: Detective
Tone: Noir

The Big Sleep (1946) - 4/5

This is a detective film noir classic, complete with downtrodden detective and a sense of smoky mystique hanging in the air so thick you could cut it with a knife and it would stay cut. The story strolls along while the actors chew the scenery and the audience forgets itself for the duration. It manages to tackle the tawdry subsurface dealings of the rich and famous with dignity, without stooping to the sleaze of its ‘70s counterparts. The dialogue, acting, and overall filmmaking here is good, but the main draw here is the atmosphere that mesmerizes as only the noir genre can.

Closest comparison: It’s like The Maltese Falcon (1941) by way of Dark Passage (1947).

Setting: Noir
Plot: Detective
Tone: Noir

In a Lonely Place (1950) - 4/5

This is a classic film noir that overemphasizes the self-destruction of its protagonist without providing much impetus for it. There are setups and payoffs, but disconnected from one another so they seem to come a bit out of nowhere. Now that we have that out of the way, of course it’s always a treat to see the legendary Humphrey Bogart plying his trade. The story is a good, well-conceived tragedy that holds up over time and delivers on its unsettling slow-build tension. If tragedy noir is your jam, this is a must-see.

Closest comparison: It’s the self-destruction of Raging Bull in the garb of The Maltese Falcon.

Setting: Drama
Plot: Tragedy
Tone: Noir

Dark Passage (1947) - 3/5

This drama is one in a long line of Bogart / Becall collaborations, though one of the weaker ones. While it's always great to hear them banter, this film doesn't offer anything more than the basic motions of plot and dialogue. The most interesting aspect was the first-person cinematography in the fist half of the movie, an underused form used extremely well here. Unfortunately, it's the same reason the technique stops being used that keys in the viewer about why it was used in the first place, and that undercuts its impact significantly. It's not a classic, but there are worse movies to watch for an hour and 45, old or new alike.