The story begins with the murder of a police officer. Known hoodlum Nick Romano (John Derek in his film debut) is picked up fleeing the scene and pegged for the crime. A slew of evidence and witnesses is procured and it seems like Nick will get the fast track to the electric chair. But Nick maintains his innocents and lawyer Andrew Morton agrees to take on the case in an attempt to save Nick from being railroaded into a guilty sentence unjustly. Andrew takes on the case knowing his superiors at his firm want nothing to do with it and threaten him that he will not make partner should he pursue it. But Andrew has a long and troubled past with Nick and feels obligated to take the case, feeling that in the past he has failed Nick and this may be a way to redeem both of them.
As the trial begins Andrew starts out by painting a picture to the Jury of exactly who Nick Romano is. Thus begins a rather lengthy set of flashbacks that takes us on a journey from Nick’s father being wrongfully imprisoned and dying in jail, to run-ins with local bullies, turning him from a somewhat happy immigrant with potential to a criminal with a wicked temper. Nick is well on his way down this street when he meets Emma (Allene Roberts), a shop clerk working with her Aunt who’s husband abandoned her and left her in poor health. Emma and Nick fall in love leading Nick to make several attempts to work legitimately rather than commit theft to get by. But with each attempt Nick allows his temper to interfere, costing him his jobs and he ultimately falls back into crime. We can see that he wants to do the right thing but he no longer has the temperament to make it happen.
Andrew’s partner years earlier was responsible for botching the trial of Nick’s father, failing to do his due diligence to protect an innocent man. Andrew feels guilty for this, feeling he was too busy to have properly taken care of the family himself and, consequently, Nick. His wife, Adele, convinces him to try and mentor Nick and help him improve his life and his temperament. Things start looking up until Nick accidentally overhears Andrew discussing Nick with one of his friends and, in a fit of rage breaks things and steals $100 from Andrew.
Later, in yet another attempt to set his life right, Nick takes another job but after dealing with a particularly rude supervisor he loses control and attacks the man, losing yet another job. In frustration he goes home to tell his wife he is giving up and going back to crime. Emma tells him she is pregnant which sets him off, even more determined to “Live Fast, die young, and leave a good looking corpse.” He leaves her in distress to rob a train station. When that goes awry he returns home to flee with his wife only to find that she has taken her own life.
Back in the present time Andrew succeeds to discredit witnesses who say they saw Nick at the scene of the crime. One of these witnesses even recants his sworn statement, saying that he was coerced by the police to say things that were completely false. Things are looking up for Nick until the prosecutor pushes Nick into a fit of rage, getting him to finally admit to the murder.
This film hinges on the performance of John Derek, a complete newcomer at the time. Fortunately he is up to the task and comes across an frighteningly believable. This could have easily been a one note performance but John displays a range of emotions from anger, frustration and contempt as well as tenderness and love for his wife. No part of this performance rings false. This is crucial for him to be a sympathetic character we need to be rooting for, even if we don’t quite believe his innocence of the murder.
In contrast, the established Bogart seems at times to be sleepwalking through his performance. It’s not terrible but it also isn’t inspiring. Bogart is playing to type and rarely strays from that. He is given some meaty scenes to sink his teeth into but only occasionally takes full advantage of it. He even is asked to provide some very clumsily added voice over work early on as he is sizing up the jury. These lines are bad and serve no real purpose as it attempts to familiarize us with the jury stereotypes that ultimately don’t even factor into the story.
The film wisely stays away from the courtroom for large chunks of time. While those scenes are not bad, they are not the heart of the film. Nick’s struggles and Andrew’s failed attempts to help him are that heart and at times it is heartbreaking seeing Nick rebuff that help and succumb to his baser nature. This is heavily punctuated by his relationship to Emma. We see that relationship blossom only to wither on the vine as Nick slowly loses the battle with his own personal demons.
The film plays out like a college essay. It states its central thesis up front, backs it up throughout the film, then recaps it in the end. The main problem it runs afoul of is that we never quite believe Nick is innocent. This is made clear by Bogart’s opening statements to the jury. He is painting a picture of the situations that made Nick who he is today. This would not work as a scene in this particular film if the finale proved Nick’s innocence. In fact, a innocent verdict would undermine the whole message of the film. That can be looked at as a flaw or a strength. It bolsters the message but weakens the suspense. Even so, for this film it was the correct direction to take, even if it sometimes hinders it.
The final image in the film is a bit too on the nose. We see Nick as he is saying goodbye to Andrew and being led to the electric chair. Over this image of Nick in the doorway to his demise the words “The End” are displayed telling us that this is not only the end of the film but the end of Nick’s tragic life. Subtle it is not but it also effectively gets the films message across.
Knock On Any Door is not a breezy, feel good film. It has a message to convey without letting us draw our own conclusions. It knows what it wants to say and makes sure we know it, too. It is not subtle but it is engrossing, primarily thanks to a stellar performance by John Derek. This is a film that is impossible to finish watching and then dismiss it right away. It is heart breaking watching the light slowly diminish out of Emma’s eyes as the honeymoon wears off and the realities of being married to Nick set in. Allene Robert is equally as good as John in a role that is short, but effective. These two make up for much of the films weaknesses and keep us invested, despite all its other flaws. It has heart aplenty. If only it could have been less preachy and allowed the audience to make up their own mind on where the blame for it all truly lies.
Running Time: 100 Minutes
Starring: Humphrey Bogart, John Derek, Allene Roberts
Directed By: Nicholas Ray
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