Somewhere in the Night (1946)

Directed by Joseph L Mankiewicz; produced by Anderson Lawler

A severely wounded U.S. marine (John Hodiak) wakes with horrible facial injuries and no memories. Documents record him as George Taylor, but he doesn’t believe it. When he finds a disturbing letter among his belongings, however, he pretends to go along with the identity, scared that even worse would be uncovered if the authorities placed this George Taylor in his old life. Nonetheless, the amnesiac determines to find out who he is, with his only clue a letter from Larry Cravat, an old friend. The very mention of Cravat’s name, though, causes anger, fear or anxiety to almost everyone who hears it, and Taylor soon wishes he had never heard it himself.

As I wrote in my review of The Bourne Identity (1988), amnesia stories are often disappointing when the plot resolves itself. The Bourne Identity is an exception to this pattern, and so is Somewhere in the Night. Though viewers may arrive at the solution sooner than they should, this is still an entertaining and complex mystery. Numerous characters know of Cravat or have heard of him, and appear and vanish in the story, only to re-appear, as leads turn up, seemingly going nowhere but to more dead ends for Taylor.

The cast is headed by lesser known names - Hodiak as the lead, and Nancy Guild as the inevitable girl who assists the hero – but is supported by more seasoned performers, such as Richard Conte as a helpful night-club owner, and Lloyd Nolan as a contemplative cop. Fritz Kortner is enjoyable as a shamelessly amoral crook, and Josephine Hutchinson wrings the heart as a spinster by-passed by happiness. Familiar faces, including Whit Bissell, Harry Morgan and Jeff Corey, pop up; Sheldon Leonard has no bigger a part than any of those three but must have been already of note, for his amusing cameo brings him billing in the opening credits. A few players are below these actors’ grade – Margo Woode, as a would-be femme fatale, for instance – but by and large the cast is more than capable.

Some big names are involved behind the scenes, Joseph L Mankiewicz not only directing but co-writing the script; Lee Strasberg adapted the original story (Somerset Maugham also seems to have been involved but uncredited.)

Though Hodiak is appropriately grim much of the time, the script and direction provides some fun, as in Leonard’s scene as an exasperated husband, and when Hodiak and a criminal meet a second time, both turning to run. The dialogue provides some of the double entendres sometimes found in older movies (Woode understanding a point: “I get it.” Guild’s response: “If it’s around, I’m sure you will.”)

The atmosphere is as inviting to the viewer as it is forbidding to Taylor. Most of the scenes are nocturnal, as befits the movie’s title, and it’s hard to believe that so much could occur in such a short space of story-time. In fact, there are several moments when, if you think about the story too much, it will begin to crumble, but Somewhere in the Night shouldn’t cause too much examination.

Though loaded with angst, violence, fraud and murder, it is nonetheless a light-hearted film noir, as films noir go. Looked at in such a way, this movie will be a hit with most viewers.