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Dead Reckoning Details

1947 Certificate U
  • Rated:
  • 60
  • from 551 members

Humphrey Bogart stars as Rip Murdock, a World War II veteran ensnared in a web of crime and conspiracy when his best friend, Johnny Drake (William Prince), disappears en route to Washington, D.C., to receive a war medal. Murdock follows the trail to Drake's hometown in the Deep South, where he finds his friend's body burned .. Read more

Starring Humphrey Bogart, Elizabeth Scott, Morris Carnovsky, Charles Cane
Director John Cromwell
Genres Drama

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Dead Reckoning

Humphrey Bogart stars as Rip Murdock, a World War II veteran ensnared in a web of crime and conspiracy when his best friend, Johnny Drake (William Prince), disappears en route to Washington, D.C., to receive a war medal. Murdock follows the trail to Drake's hometown in the Deep South, where he finds his friend's body burned beyond recognition at the local morgue. Murdock, determined to find the murderer, begins his own investigation but soon falls for Drake's ex-girlfriend, femme fatale Cory Chandler (Lizabeth Scott). When Murdock finds his first lead dead in his own hotel room, he begins to suspect that Chandler may be a lot more than just a local singer. Directed by acclaimed veteran John Cromwell (SO ENDS OUR NIGHT, ABE LINCOLN IN ILLINOIS), DEAD RECKONING provides sharp and merciless suspense. The dark, winding plot twists in this classic film noir are held together and energized throughout by Bogart's commanding, inimitable screen presence and his paradoxically expressive, world-weary deadpan.

Starring Humphrey Bogart, Elizabeth Scott, Morris Carnovsky, Charles Cane, William Prince, Wallace Ford, William Forrest, James Bell, George Chandler, Marvin Miller
Director John Cromwell
Studio SONY PICTURES HOME ENTERTAINMENT
Run time DVD: 1 hr 36 mins
Certificate Certificate U
Genres Drama
Language DVD: English
Subtitles DVD: Arabic, Czech, Danish, Dutch, English, Finnish, French, German, Greek, Hindi, Hungarian, Italian, Norwegian, Polish, Portuguese, Spanish, Swedish, Turkish
Released DVD: 27 Jan 2003
Production year: 1947
Format DVD

  • Critics' reviews (3) of Dead Reckoning

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  • 2 stars out of 5

    Don't get your hopes up, because this isn't the tense 1947 Humphrey Bogart film noir. In fact, it is a less-than-inspired TV movie starring Cliff Robertson as a rich husband targeted for murder by his wife and her lover during a sailing trip. Dead Calm proved that yachts make the perfect setting for a claustrophobic killer thriller and there are few more atmospheric locations than a lighthouse. But director Robert Lewis contrives to miss every cue for suspense. Robertson's career really must have run aground if the one-time Oscar-winner was forced to come on board a leaky tub like this. And his appearance in the disappointing Escape from New York sequel, Escape from LA (1996), alongside star Kurt Russell, probably won't help.

    • Radio Times
    • Posted 29 Jan 2006
  • 1 stars out of 4

    Dour, complexly plotted thriller, a typical Hollywood film noir of the post-war years but a long way behind Gilda in likeability. The hero confesses the plot to a priest, and all the way it is more glum than fun.

    • Halliwell's Film Guide
    • Posted 02 Mar 2006

  • Most helpful member's review of Dead Reckoning

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  • 6 out of 6 people found this review helpful

    Rated - 4 stars

    Cinderella with a husky voice

    A key film in the noir genre clearly influenced by The Maltese Falcon and The Big Sleep. Bogart is a paratrooper who reluctantly becomes both the hunter and the hunted when his best friend is killed. There are some remarkably photographed scenes with low-key lighting and oblique angles all held together by hardboiled dialogue.The only failing is the casting of Lizabeth Scott as the femme fatale: she is a poor substitute for Lauren Bacall for whom the role seems to have been intended. Morris Carnovsky and Marvin Miller make excellent heavies in contrast to Bogart's noir hero.

      • Leon Collins from London
      • Posted 28 Nov 2005 10:23

  • Most recent members' review of Dead Reckoning

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  • 2 out of 2 people found this review helpful

    Rated - 4 stars

    All females are the same with their faces washed.

    Bogart smokes his way through another top performance as a tough ex GI in this derivative, yet highly entertaining film noir. A convoluted plot checklists the noir requirements but there are some fantastic, cold as a morgue slab, exchanges between Bogie and Lizabeth Scott as the shady, sultry femme fatale who is often unfairly criticized in this film. The musical number aside (when she looks like she's going to be violently sick) her detached performance is suitable for her character. Cliched and sometimes unbelievable Dead Reckoning is archetypal Bogart, a performance of real magnetism, and that should be good enough for anyone.

      • Chester Dent from London, England
      • Posted 12 Nov 2006 17:47

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Rating breakdown

551 Member ratings
  • 100
28
  • 90
23
  • 80
101
  • 70
121
  • 60
133
  • 50
66
  • 40
43
  • 30
17
  • 20
12
  • 10
7

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      • Humphrey Bogart stars as Rip Murdock, a World War II veteran ensnared in a web of crime and conspiracy when his best friend, Johnny Drake (William Prince), disappears en route to Washington, D.C., to ...