What a waste of my time!!!

n my opinion it was a great movie with some interesting elements, even though having some plot holes and the ending probably was just too messy and crammed together, but still fun to watch and not your casual movie that is similar to all other ones.

It’s fine. It's literally the definition of a fine movie. You’ve seen it before, you know every beat and outcome before the characters even do. Only question is how much escapism you’re looking for.

Great movie. Not sure what people expected but I found it highly entertaining.

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.

The film begins with John Hodiak in a military hospital. It seems he's had a horrific injury while serving in WWII. The wound is so bad that he has no recollection who he is--which is strange, as he hasn't got a single scar throughout the film! This seemed sloppy--a couple nice big scars on his head would have been appropriate and made the film seem less contrived. This is exactly the sort of injury that happens in movies--not in real life. Armed only with a few tiny bits and pieces on him, he tracks down who he might be once he's discharged.It's obvious early on that who Hodiak is and who is old 'friends' were is pretty bad--as the trail leads him to thugs and creeps galore. And, on top of that, people start making attempts on his life and beat the crap out of him! Now you'd think that in a situation like this, he'd either give up his search OR he'd get the police involved. After all, with no memory, he's just blindly walking into one dangerous situation after another! Herein lies the problem--with him running about like a proverbial bull in a china chop, he should have been killed early on in the film. But because he ultimately is able to unravel the mystery, it all seems very contrived and totally unbelievable.Despite a good cast and Joseph L. Mankiewicz co-writing and directing, it's only a so-so film. There were a few decent story elements (such as the film noir look and some of the acting). However, you might expect more, as in the late 40s and early 50s, Mankiewicz was perhaps THE preeminent film maker--with such wonderful credits as "A Letter to Three Wives" and "All About Eve" to his credits. This film simply doesn't show the Mankiewicz brilliance--plus this sort of idea has been done better (such as with Edmond O'Brien in "Man in the Dark").It's odd. After looking at the reviews, I noticed that what people thought was all over the place--many hated it, many thought is was brilliant. I thought it was neither.By the way, was it just me or was Richard Conte's move to disarm the lady with the gun near the end of the film a bit hard to believe?!

***SPOILER ALERT*** Recovering for a Jap grenade that ended up rearranging his face during the battle of Okinawa US Marine Sgt. George Taylor, John Hodiak, completely lost his memory. With Taylor, if that's his name, not really knowing who he is trying to keep that fact a secret from the hospital staff he tries to fake his way through life, as George Taylor, until his memory, if ever, comes back to him.The few clues that Taylor has about himself is a letter, unsigned and without a forwarding address, that he found in his wallet by a former girlfriend telling him what a low down and dirty rat he is! The other clue he found in his navy duffel bag was a note telling him that he has a $5,000,00 account in a L.A bank courtesy of his good and life-long friend Larry Carvat! What puzzles Taylor most of all in the confusion he's going through, in him not being able to remember anything, is who the hell is Larry Cravat! Taylor a man determined to find out who he is ends up getting involved with a slew of unsavory characters who's only mission in life seems to be the finding the whereabouts of Larry Cravat! Since Cravat left the amnesic Taylor $5,000.00 it's assumed by those looking for him that he may well know were Cravat is and lead them straight to him! That's if Taylor's memory ever comes back!Among those looking for Carvat is the Bela Lugosi sounding fortune teller Anzelmo known professionally as Dr. Oracle, Fritz Kortner. As it turned out Anzelmo had something going with Cravat back some four years ago involving a two million dollar, smuggled out of Nazi Ggermany, transaction he was to make with him. This lead to Cravat's disappearances with the money as well as the murder of the middle man in the transaction, someone named Steel, on a deserted L.A dock! Among the other persons looking for Cravat is nightclub owner Mel Phillips, Richard Conte, considered by those who work for him as being the nicest guy in the whole wide world.***SPOILERS***All Mel wants, from what I can figure out, from Cravat is just a friendly chat and nothing more. Maybe Mel is looking to give Cravat a job at his nightclub replacing the bartender John , Whit Bissell, who was found murdered the other night! Meanwhile Taylor begins to put all the pieces together, regarding Larry Cravat, and comes to realize just who this mystery man really is! Something he'll soon wish that he would have never found out!The movie also has in it the great Llyod Noland as police Det. Donald Kendell as well as pretty and classy Nancy Guild as the confused, not about Nancy but everything else in the movie, Taylor's love interest nightclub singer and dancer Christy Smith. In the end Taylor does finally, with Christy's help, find out who he is but that little bit of information almost ends up costing him his life! As you would have expected it was the great Llyod Noland, as Det. Kendell, who with gun blazing came to both Taylor and Christy's rescue. It was also during the films climatic shootout that Det. Kendell finally figured out why detectives,in the movies as well as in real life, never take off their hats even when dining in a Chinese restaurant! Something that had been bugging the lawman for as long as he could remember!

I wanted to like Somewhere in the Night and at first was impressed by the off kilter style of the opening in the WWII field hospital with the heavily bandaged amnesia victim played by John Hodiak, but when it switched to its stateside development I soon realized it was derived from several predecessors and didn't really have a clue where to go itself. Hodiak and leading lady Nancy Guild, while meant to evoke Bogey and Bacall, are about as interesting as watching paint dry in this overlong derivative production. Supporting cast is the high point with Richard Conte, Lloyd Nolan, and several other familiar faces doing their small parts to make the movie memorable. Eddie Muller's commentary on the Fox DVD is fun. Only recommended for noir completists.