Knock on Any Door

Was doing fine until all that goofiness toward the end derailed things. And a fairly taut courtroom drama (with flashbacks) became transformed into some sort of plea for Social Justice...

Humphrey Bogart as a defense lawyer had all the earmarks of a good film, but it ends-up one of Bogart's lesser roles of the period. He plays the character fairly unspectacular, straight and honest, while his young client gets too much screen time focusing on the events leading-up to his crime. Derek wasn't bad, but John Derek list of marriages is a lot more impressive than his movie roles, which can be explained by his good looks exceeding the personality he could portray on screen.

Viewed July 2, 2020.

Unusual change of pace for Bogart actually serves him quite well, giving him a few meaty scenes (and a climactic court room summation) which he knocks out of the park. Unfortunately, much of the film focusses on Derek's less charismatic second lead - Derek's performance is lacklustre and unconvincing, but he is not helped by melodramatic plot developments and heavy-handed meditations on the plight of 'slum kids'. Though its heart is in the right place, the movie never works as entertainment.

Good courtroom drama. Bogart's performance has enough grief and rage in it to keep his speeches from becoming too preachy.

The film lays it on thick with the message picture angle, but I don't mind that so much and it's executed pretty well. It relies heavily on Bogart, and when he's on he makes this film a 10, but there are significant sections without him and while they're fine they pale in comparison. If you want to see Bogart give some nice socially conscious speeches within the context of a courtroom drama it's a good choice.

bogart karizmasından yardım alan bir insani hikaye. ama tüm iyi niyete rağmen dönemindeki diğer benzer filmlere bakınca yapısal olarak pek iyi bir örnek olduğu söylenemez, hele bir de iyi yaşlanmadığını hesaba katınca...

Nicholas Ray #1

The story is very cheesy and the message is superficial.

at first look bogey seems pretty out of place here, but over the course of the movie he pulls it off quite well. the writing on the other hand, leaves much to be desired.

Even as a bleeding heart liberal, I found the moralizing a bit much, especially in Bogart's pleas to the jury. However, the performances are excellent and the film has a sensitive, poetic rhythm to it. The stylish camerawork by Burnett Guffey (one of the greats) maintains the noir vibe, with some gorgeous sequences. Also, the third act is a courtroom drama that manages to avoid a lot of the predictable tropes. Perhaps too earnest and a tad too slow, but a sorrowful and often beautiful movie.

Earnest, liberal film about youth violence and slums. Surprising misfire from Nicholas Ray and Bogart.