All Through the Night

Starring: Humphrey Bogart, Karen Verne, Peter Lorre, Jane Darwell, Frank McHugh
Directed by: Vincent Sherman
Rating: Not rated
Genre: Action, Comedy, Drama, Thriller
1941

Times Seen:
Tim: 1

Summary: A bigshot gambler (Humphrey Bogart) decides to investigate the murder of his favorite baker. Along the way, he stumbles onto a NAZI plot, and he and his friends are the only ones who can stop it.

Review:

Tim: I've seen many, many of Humphrey Bogart's movies. While he's always good in them, the movies aren't always spectacular. This movie isn't one of his best. However, there is quite a bit here to like. It's just that when you look at the movie as a whole, it doesn't quite stand up to other contemporary films.

The movie tries to balance out action, drama, and comedy, but these three ingredients are never perfectly mixed. One element always feels a bit out of place. The storyline also takes a few weird twists. What starts out as a murder investigation suddenly turns into an attempt to stop a NAZI plot to commit an act of terrorism in New York City. The logical flow of the plot doesn't always work.

Humphrey Bogart is fairly strong as Gloves, but this is not his best role. There were several moments when his character could have been better developed, but wasn't. This ends up hurting the film. I liked seeing Peter Lorre in a strong, villainous role. The rest of the cast put in energetic, comedic performances, but they still leave you wanting more. They needed to be more effective.

The movie doesn't really impact us on any type of emotional level. Normally, putting Bogart against any villains- and most especially- NAZIs- should get us on board. The plot is a bit thick and confusing, and as a result, we're never fully invested in the characters or the plot. All Through the Night is worth seeing if you're a huge Bogart fan, but it's sadly forgettable.



Rating 1-10
Tim's Rating- 6.5



If You Enjoyed This Movie, We Recommend: The African Queen, The Big Sleep, The Maltese Falcon, Action in the North Atlantic, High Sierra