Dark Passage

Some film-noir fans don’t like this movie because the plot strikes them as too improbable. I prefer to say that Dark Passage has an imaginative plot. The trouble begins with Vincent Parry (Humphrey Bogart) doing time in San Quentin for a murder he didn’t commit. Who wouldn’t sympathize with the guy? He breaks out of the joint by hiding in an outbound barrel aboard a truck. With police sirens coming his way, Parry rocks the barrel back and forth until it tips over and rolls off the truck. Luckily, the barrel rolls into the tall grass instead of over a cliff. Next, a plastic surgeon enters the story, followed by Irene Jansen (Lauren Bacall). What will happen next? Plenty.