In August of 1950, the third Santana film, In a Lonely Place, was distributed, a film which would be counted among Bogart’s masterpieces. This too was directed by Nicholas Ray, but with a much greater commitment and sensitivity, giving the right sort of depth to this investigation on the violence contained in the plot. In truth, In a Lonely Place is Bogart’s only film that succeeds in getting close enough to the heart of the issue, which for the first time manages to break out of the restrictive conventions of the gangster genre. Bogart plays the role of Dixon Steele, a Hollywood screenwriter, once successful but currently unemployed and having a very hard time, due to both the contempt he holds for the values of the celluloid world, and the bad reputation he has gained with his sudden and dangerous fits of anger. […] This is the dark side, the negative equivalent of the emotional reticence of Sam Spade or of the obstinate neutrality of Rick. There is no latent heroism here, ready to triumph as soon as a nice girl or a difficult situation comes into play. This is authentic depravation, violence at its purest. It makes you wonder how much it holds true for Bogart the man, since the actor is too good at playing Steele, and since, as Raymond Chandler once said, «Bogart is always good at playing Bogart». […] «I took the gun out of Bogart’s hands», Nick Ray commented in regard to In a Lonely Place, thus lengthening the list of writers and directors who claim to have revolutionized his career. However, it may just be true that only he took the gun out of Bogart’s hands, and he let him make a good film. In any case, Warner Brothers didn’t waste a second to put the gun back in his hands, casting him in The Enforcer.


Jonathan Coe