Steele is a Hollywood screenwriter. He's offered a job writing a script based on a novel. Rather than read the book he takes a hatcheck girl who just finished reading it to his apartment to tell him the plot. The poor girl is later found murdered, her body dumped on the side of the road. Being a violent drunk, Dix Steele is the obvious suspect.
A young woman who lives in his building (Gloria Graham) saw him and gave him an alibi, but police still suspect him,
Later, Bogart becomes enraged and drives recklessly, sideswipes a car and, even though he's 50-years-old, beats up and nearly murders the driver who's later revealed to be a football player for UCLA. When he asks Gloria Grahame to marry him, she's afraid to say no. They meet with friends to celebrate and Bogart punches one of them.
An important lesson for all of us about staying away from people like that.
Directed by Nicholas Ray. He was married to Gloria Grahame at the time although they split up during filming.
Martha Stewart, who played the murdered girl, died of COVID at age 98.
Available on the Criterion Channel.
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