Matialth Good concept, poorly executed.

GazerRise Fantastic!

FirstWitch A movie that not only functions as a solid scarefest but a razor-sharp satire.

Bluebell Alcock Ok... Let's be honest. It cannot be the best movie but is quite enjoyable. The movie has the potential to develop a great plot for future movies

mrb1980 Amnesia is a great vehicle for screenwriters. It allows a story about someone who is menaced by bad guys but doesn't know why because he's forgotten his past. In this film, George Taylor (John Hodiak) returns from the Pacific war not even knowing what his true name is. After being discharged, Taylor attempts to recreate his past, getting involved with gangsters, $2 million of Nazi loot in a suitcase, and with the beautiful nightclub singer Chris (Nancy Guild). After a lot of fairly confusing twists and turns including a great scene inside a sanitarium, the film has an unexpected twist ending that sharp viewers will anticipate.Every time I see John Hodiak in a film I wonder what he would have accomplished, since he died so young. His body of work is very good and I don't remember any real losers he did. Nancy Guild is good as the woman who protects him while transforming from a tough gal to falling in love with Taylor. There's a very interesting scene which takes place in a 1940s L.A. Chinese restaurant.Lots of familiar faces pop up here: Whit Bissell (an ill-fated bartender); Sheldon Leonard (jealous and tough-guy husband); Lloyd Nolan (a detective, of course); Richard Conte (bar owner); Jeff Corey (bank teller); and Harry Morgan (bath attendant). The story is pretty confusing at times, and some of the characters don't make a lot of sense, but Hodiak is great as the amnesia victim who sometimes isn't the nicest guy around. It's a great example of B&W 1940s thrillers, so try to catch it.

clanciai A soldier, all bandaged up, wakes up in an army hospital in the war and remembers nothing. All he can do is to soliloquize. His wallet has been miraculously saved from the grenade devastation that all but killed him, which contains a weird letter from someone condemning him with all her hate. That's the only cue he has to his life and identity.It's a difficult beginning to start with, but the soldier is returned to life and to Los Angeles, where he starts digging for his past, groping his way in the total darkness of a mystery that only grows worse for each new clue that turns up. A singing lady takes care of him and bandages him up when he gets beaten up by hoodlums for no known reason, and there are more and more people like that, trying to get what he knows and the more eagerly so for the fact that he knows nothing.All amnesia films are usually extremely interesting and good, "Random Harvest" is the best example of all, but here the hero has no great past and has never been in any position but is just a common man who had the misfortune to get mixed up with accidents and intrigues beyond his control. At first you feel disappointed with the film, as nothing seems to resolve the mysteries but only to complicate them. Like the man himself you err in a labyrinth of grotesque absurdity, and every helper seems only to make it worse - until he meets an old man in a mental hospital, and then you have already passed way beyond half of the film.What follows though is completely rewarding. The miracle happens that everything in this inextricable mystery actually is resolved and explained, and an impossible abyss of illogical absurdity turns the other way around in a marvel of a sudden revelation, which definitely saves the film and turns it from disaster to glory.All Joe Mankiewicz's films display a high class stylishness of almost an aristocratic touch, which makes them all enjoyable, and this weird odyssey through a nightmare of disorientation is no exception. The actors are also convincing enough, while Richard Conte is the only real character player. This was Mankiewicz's second film on his way up to supreme stardom of directors, and he still had 20 more years to go of reliably outstanding films.

Claudio Carvalho During the World War II, a soldier is hit by a grenade that deforms his face and leaves him with amnesia. Sometime later, he is recovered and learns that his name is George Taylor (John Hodiak) and he is discharged from the army. He finds a letter written by a man called Larry Cravat that would be his pal and he goes to Los Angeles to seek out Larry Cravat to find his identity. He goes to a bank, a hotel, a Turkish bath and a night-club following leads. He is beaten up by Hubert, the henchman of Anzelmo (Fritz Kortner) that dumps him at the front door of the singer Christy Smith (Nancy Guild) that works in a night-club. George tells his story to her and Christy decides to help him. She calls her boss and friend Mel Phillips (Richard Conte) that schedules a lunch with his friend Police Lt. Donald Kendall (Lloyd Nolan) and Christy. They learn that Larry Cravat was a private investigator that somehow received US$ 2 million three years ago from Germany from a Nazi that was immediately deceased. Then George receives a tip to go to the Terminal Dock where he meets Anzelmo that explains that Larry Cravat is wanted by the police for the murder of a man at the dock to keep the money. Larry has disappeared and Anzelmo believes George Taylor is the man that was with him and probably the killer. George further investigation finds that a man named Conroy was a witness of the crime, but he was hit and run by a truck and is interned at the Lambeth Sanatorium. When George meets Conroy, he realizes that the man was stabbed but he tells where he hid the suitcase with the money before dying. Now George is close to solve the mystery."Somewhere in the Night" is an intriguing film-noir with a mystery about who is and where is a man called Larry Cravat. The direction of Joseph L. Mankiewicz is tight as usual and the plot has many twists and the story is disclosed in pieces like a puzzle. The gorgeous Nancy Guild performs the role of an independent woman ahead of time. Alan Parker was probably inspired in George Taylor to develop the character Harry Angel in the 1987 "Angel Heart". My vote is seven.Title (Brazil): "Uma Aventura na Noite" ("One Adventure in the Night")Note: On 29 July 2018 I saw this film again.

gsygsy I'd be surprised if you didn't solve the script's major mystery pretty early on, so the question is if there is much else to enjoy in this movie.The answer is yes. But it's a mixed bag. Even some reliable actors (Conte, Nolan) seem a little lost, as if they weren't quite sure what notes they were supposed to be hitting. On the other hand there is a haunting performance, in a single scene, from Josephine Hutchinson, and an enjoyable hard-boiled dame from Margo Woode.As far as acting honours are concerned, though, they go to Fritz Hortner, who effortlessly steals whatever scenes he's in.SOMEWHERE IN THE NIGHT is efficiently photographed and designed. It boasts an interesting score from journeyman composer David Buttolph, and the script is well-stocked with good lines and Hammett-like speeches and situations.John Hodiak takes a brave stab at the lead, Nancy Guild radiates warmth as the gal who takes a shine to him. Unfortunately neither of them can provide the wattage of the great players associated with this genre.And Mr Mankiewicz, although already an experienced writer, was evidently feeling his way as a director here.All in all, it's a moderately entertaining piece of work.