Somewhere in the Night ....John Hodiac returns from WWll with amnesia and finds that the life he left behind wasn't on the up and up.
The Crooked Way.....John Payne returns from WWll with amnesia and finds that the life he left behind wasn't on the up and up.
By coincidence I watched both within 3 days and thought I had amnesia.
Yes, great similarities. Somewhere in the Night, which came out first, is the better of the two films, although I like John Payne's character just as much. In addition, both take place in Los Angeles. What irritated me about Hodiak's character, though, is that he never wore a fedora with his suit (a point that may seem absurd, but for a man in 1946 to go totally hatless, even in Los Angeles, appeared a bit odd).
shareThey seem to be readily fit for such a comparison, yes. However, I thought this one´s actually better - the look of the film is amazing (some really effective, evocative use of lighting & framing throughout) and it moves in such a smooth, rapid clip with healthy sense of cynicism and a dialogue that always seems sharp and to the point. Whatever problems there might be plot wise, never amount to a bother as the sheer mastery of storytelling easily neutralizes the bumps on the road. Quite an underrated noir, this. 8/10.
"facts are stupid things" - Ronald Reagan
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