William Holden plays a troubled prison inmate in Rudolph Maté's claustrophobic thriller "The Dark Past" who takes a college professor and his guests hostage after he breaks out of stir. This represents one of the few examples of Holden cast as a villain but taking top billing over his heroic co-star Lee J. Cobb. Instead of Holden as the hero, Cobb is hero, a shrewd but open-minded police psychiatrist who relies on his fearless intelligence to get himself out of a dangerous predicament. The liberal minded "Dark Past" isn't so much a 'crime doesn't pay' movie as much as it is 'crime can be prevented' movie. Unfortunately, more dialogue than shooting occurs here, but the psychological process of unraveling a murderer's mind compensates for the talkative script. The villains' lack of vigilance, particularly on the part of the henchmen, is what gets them in hot water.
A compassionate police psychiatrist, Dr. Andrew Collins (Lee J. Cobb of "Lawman"), attends the morning line-up of offenders at the police station. He takes an interest in an embittered 18-year old criminal, John Larrapoe (Harry Harvey Jr.), who has been arrested for armed robbery, assault with a deadly weapon, and resisting arrest. Collins wants to intervene in Larrapoe's behalf because he thinks that the youth doesn't know the way the system works. He wants to send Larrapoe to the psychiatric ward of the county hospital for observation. Initially, the arresting officer, Williams (Robert B. Williams), who wears a bandage on his right temple where Larrapoe struck him when he resisted arrest, doesn't agree with Collins' recommendation. "Don't expect me to make that kind of recommendation in my report to the D. A.," Williams states. "There is nothing wrong with Larrapoe that a good stretch at hard labor won't cure," the detective argues. "He's a bad boy, mean all over." Collins refuses to give up on Larrapoe. "I don't want us hardening him into a hopeless criminal. He's young, something can be done for him while he is young. He's a sick boy, mentally and emotionally." Williams follows Collins into his office and Collins fills Williams in on his experience with a criminal named Al Walker (William Holden of "Born Yesterday") when he was a professor of psychiatry at a small university near the Canadian border. Thus concludes the first act of this melodrama.
Collins plans to spend the weekend in the country. Collins owns a cabin by a lake and he takes his wife, Ruth (Lois Maxwell, who played the first Miss Moneypenny in the James Bond franchise) and his son Bobby (Robert Hyatt) with him. Bobby yearns to go hunting and fishing. Meanwhile, Walker has mysteriously broken out of prison. We know from the get-go that Walker is a ruthless felon because he displays no qualms about gunning down Warden Benson (Selmer Jackson) in cold blood after they set him a foot. Indeed, the exposition during a radio broadcast lets us know that Walker shot and killed two guards during his prison breakout. Anyway, they are heading to the lake where they are supposed to catch a ride in a boat with an accomplice. Although they have found an abandoned shack to hide out in until the boat arrives, Walker wants to take advantage of Collins and his guests. Walker believes that his accomplices and he can lay low with less chance of discovery by the police if they wait it out with Collins and company. The midpoint of this drama concerns a question and answer conversation between Collins and Walker (William Holden) about a recurring nightmare that has plagued the lawbreaker entire life. "I don't kill sick people," Dr. Andrew Collins informs Al Walker, "I cure them." Although it is officially a remake of Charles Vidor's "Blind Alley" (1939), "The Dark Past" reminded me of the home invasion thriller "The Desperate Hours" where Humphrey Bogart broke into Frederic March's house and held his family and him at gunpoint. Collins is a pretty cool customer as he psychoanalyzes the reluctant Walker. At one point, the exasperated Walker thrusts a revolver into Collins' stomach when he cannot understand the professor's line of questioning. Walker suffers from a nightmare that involves an abusive father and rain.
Maté and scenarists Philip MacDonald, Michael Blankfort, and Albert Duffy keep the principals cooped up for about an hour in a loquacious yarn. For the record, "The Dark Past" is an adaptation of the James Warwick's play "Blind Alley." "A little understanding and guidance," Collins observes, "maybe we can salvage some of this waste." The problem with 'The Dark Past" is that Walker lets Collins get the upper hand and prevents him from killing ever again. William Holden is miscast as the murderous escaped convict, but Lee J. Cobb is quietly convincing as the assertive psychiatrist. Otherwise, the rest of the cast is credible. Nevertheless, Collins' ability to undermine Walker after he cures him seems far-fetched, given Walker's homicidal nature. On the whole, "The Dark Past" is an interesting, if somewhat fanciful yarn.
A compassionate police psychiatrist, Dr. Andrew Collins (Lee J. Cobb of "Lawman"), attends the morning line-up of offenders at the police station. He takes an interest in an embittered 18-year old criminal, John Larrapoe (Harry Harvey Jr.), who has been arrested for armed robbery, assault with a deadly weapon, and resisting arrest. Collins wants to intervene in Larrapoe's behalf because he thinks that the youth doesn't know the way the system works. He wants to send Larrapoe to the psychiatric ward of the county hospital for observation. Initially, the arresting officer, Williams (Robert B. Williams), who wears a bandage on his right temple where Larrapoe struck him when he resisted arrest, doesn't agree with Collins' recommendation. "Don't expect me to make that kind of recommendation in my report to the D. A.," Williams states. "There is nothing wrong with Larrapoe that a good stretch at hard labor won't cure," the detective argues. "He's a bad boy, mean all over." Collins refuses to give up on Larrapoe. "I don't want us hardening him into a hopeless criminal. He's young, something can be done for him while he is young. He's a sick boy, mentally and emotionally." Williams follows Collins into his office and Collins fills Williams in on his experience with a criminal named Al Walker (William Holden of "Born Yesterday") when he was a professor of psychiatry at a small university near the Canadian border. Thus concludes the first act of this melodrama.
Collins plans to spend the weekend in the country. Collins owns a cabin by a lake and he takes his wife, Ruth (Lois Maxwell, who played the first Miss Moneypenny in the James Bond franchise) and his son Bobby (Robert Hyatt) with him. Bobby yearns to go hunting and fishing. Meanwhile, Walker has mysteriously broken out of prison. We know from the get-go that Walker is a ruthless felon because he displays no qualms about gunning down Warden Benson (Selmer Jackson) in cold blood after they set him a foot. Indeed, the exposition during a radio broadcast lets us know that Walker shot and killed two guards during his prison breakout. Anyway, they are heading to the lake where they are supposed to catch a ride in a boat with an accomplice. Although they have found an abandoned shack to hide out in until the boat arrives, Walker wants to take advantage of Collins and his guests. Walker believes that his accomplices and he can lay low with less chance of discovery by the police if they wait it out with Collins and company. The midpoint of this drama concerns a question and answer conversation between Collins and Walker (William Holden) about a recurring nightmare that has plagued the lawbreaker entire life. "I don't kill sick people," Dr. Andrew Collins informs Al Walker, "I cure them." Although it is officially a remake of Charles Vidor's "Blind Alley" (1939), "The Dark Past" reminded me of the home invasion thriller "The Desperate Hours" where Humphrey Bogart broke into Frederic March's house and held his family and him at gunpoint. Collins is a pretty cool customer as he psychoanalyzes the reluctant Walker. At one point, the exasperated Walker thrusts a revolver into Collins' stomach when he cannot understand the professor's line of questioning. Walker suffers from a nightmare that involves an abusive father and rain.
Maté and scenarists Philip MacDonald, Michael Blankfort, and Albert Duffy keep the principals cooped up for about an hour in a loquacious yarn. For the record, "The Dark Past" is an adaptation of the James Warwick's play "Blind Alley." "A little understanding and guidance," Collins observes, "maybe we can salvage some of this waste." The problem with 'The Dark Past" is that Walker lets Collins get the upper hand and prevents him from killing ever again. William Holden is miscast as the murderous escaped convict, but Lee J. Cobb is quietly convincing as the assertive psychiatrist. Otherwise, the rest of the cast is credible. Nevertheless, Collins' ability to undermine Walker after he cures him seems far-fetched, given Walker's homicidal nature. On the whole, "The Dark Past" is an interesting, if somewhat fanciful yarn.