Nobody Lives Forever (1946)

Directed by Jean Negulesco; produced by Robert Buckner

Expert conman Nick Blake (John Garfield), released from the U.S. Army after being badly wounded, returns to New York, looking to pick up where he left off when he went to war. But things are not as he expects: his girlfriend (Faye Emerson) lost in a bad investment the $50,000 he had left with her, and has taken up with a shady nightclub owner. Discouraged, he and a pal (George Tobias) head to California for a change of scenery, and quickly fall into a developing scheme to defraud a wealthy widow (Geraldine Fitzgerald). But Blake’s character has changed as much as his circumstances, and when the situation turns deadly, he isn’t sure where it will end up.

A pretty straightforward story, Nobody Lives Forever is as much character study and romance, as it is crime drama. Only in its first aspect is it above average, and that is due to the actors. The story is unremarkable, and the script, by W R Burnett, is serviceable but no more; he has written more involving stories for movies (eg. High Sierra, Night People). The progress of the movie is predictable, and, though the climax is tense, it is questionable as to what the villains hope to accomplish by forcing the situation in the way they do.

The acting is very good. Garfield once again demonstrates his skill; though his character is the usual tough guy from a lower class background, he makes him almost immediately three-dimensional. There is a telling moment when Blake is confronted with the lies he has told. Garfield’s reaction, before he speaks, lasts less than a second, yet manages to convey several emotions - dismay, doubt, desperation and determination - and shows exactly what his character is thinking. It’s scenes like that that separate excellent actors from the adequate, or even the very good.

Fitzgerald does fine work, as well. Casting someone who, while physically attractive, is not the bombshell who might have been put in her role, was a smart move. Fitzgerald conveys both naivete and intelligence, and also a loneliness that is not desperate. It’s a good performance.

Mention should also be made of George Coulouris, who plays the villain, Doc Ganson. His character is someone who, at least in his own mind, was a big deal in con-games years before, and his overwhelming ambition is to be so again. His resentment, anger and single-minded desire make his behaviour unpredictable; he is always on the edge of an outburst of some sort. This makes for a nervous suspense, which makes for involving scenes.

While its story is rather pedestrian, and its direction little better, Nobody Lives Forever has acting that translates what may have been stock characters into real people. For that, this film is good entertainment.