Dark Past, The (1948) ** 1/2 (out of 4) Remake of 1939's Blind Alley follows the same story and really doesn't offer anything new. A criminal (William Holden) escapes prison and breaks into the home of a psychiatrist (Lee J. Cobb) where he holds him, his family and friends hostage. The psychiatrist decides to try and examine the criminal's mind in hopes that he can make him crack. The original version has Chester Morris playing the criminal against the brains of Ralph Bellamy and I think that version is much better. This remake really doesn't offer anything new, although a few of the characters are somewhat changed. In the original film it was a student who shows up at the house half way through while here it's been changed to a hunting buddy. The first film also managed to get the underlined theme of child abuse past the Hayes Office but that whole plot point has been axed in this remake. Both Holden and Cobb turn in good performances but once again, I think the original worked better. In this film Cobb comes off as a tough guy, as the actor was, and this really takes away from him trying to play with the criminal's mind because there is a scene where the doctor uses his toughness to take a situation over and this just didn't ring true. Nina Foch plays Holden's girlfriend but she adds very little to the film. In the end, this certainly isn't a bad movie but it has been watered down too much to where it can't compare with the original.

Rudolph Mate made some superbly-directed films during his career (D.O.A, Union Station, When Worlds Collide, to name but a few). The Dark Past was Mate's first job as director, and he invests this debut psychological thriller with a suitable sense of urgency and a few fresh plot twists. The film also provides two of Hollywood's most durable actors - Lee J. Cobb and William Holden - with opportunities to prove their versatility. Cobb, usually cast as the heavy, here has a nice time playing a quieter, more thoughtful type. Holden, normally the romantic lead, here stretches himself as a mentally unstable criminal.Escaped convict and killer Al Walker (William Holden) and his gal Betty (Nina Foch) break into the house of a psychiatrist named Dr Andrew Collins (Lee J. Cobb). Aided by his gang, the cold-blooded Walker decides to hold Dr. Collins and his family as hostages, while some of his contacts prepare his eventual getaway. Aggressive and snappy at first, Walker is soon worn down by the patient Dr. Collins, who discretely presses him for information about his past. The doctor believes that the violence inherent within Walker is not coincidental, and suspects that something in the young criminal's past may have made him turn into the rotten egg that he is now. Gradually, Dr. Collins discovers that Walker's deep rooted issues stretch all the way back to his childhood. Once brought face to face with his "dark past" the young psycho becomes tamer and is quickly overpowered by the cops.For a film made in 1948, The Dark Past has a rather ground-breaking plot. The concept that crime in youth could perhaps be explained and treated by psychiatric means was quite radical at that time. Nowadays, we are much more informed on psychological issues, and we probably see this film as a somewhat primitive exercise. Still, The Dark Past has elements that have stood the test of time surprisingly well. The leading performances are impressive by any standards, especially Cobb as the methodical hero who uses his brains to overcome his adversary's brawn. The relatively short running time means that the film is briskly paced and tense, stripped of any additional detail that might slow things up. If you enjoy this film, it is worth noting that it gets its inspiration from a play entitled Blind Alley, which was filmed under its original title in 1939. Both are enjoyable and well-made thrillers, but I'd say that The Dark Past is marginally the better of the two.

Being a big Bill Holden fan since I was a young woman, I have seen this film many times. I think the psycololical breakdown of the lead character played by Holden was very well done with the usual laid back help from Lee J. Cobb as the psychiatrist being held captive. Cobb is intrigued by Holden's torment and tries to help him, even although he fights the help at first. The dream sequences shown when Holden relates them are well done for the time period of this film. It made a big impression on me when I was young. You have to see this film from a historical perspective, not by today's standards. It was made during a much simpler time.

As others have noted, the Freud 101 psycho-babble almost ruins an otherwise good movie. Yet, if you can brush aside the silliness of the dated script, there's some excellent acting here by Lee J. Cobb and William Holden, and a fairly decent film noir plot. The claustrophobic atmosphere of so many hostages in the house, along with the growing storm outside and the nervous but vicious gangsters creates a palpable tension that builds throughout the film. Holden is at his edgiest, playing the dangerous ex-convict on the lam. But he does what he always does best, mixing in just enough sensitivity with his animal nature to create a more complex character - you actually want to like the guy, even if he has shot people down in cold blood. The chemistry between Cobb and Holden is the best part of the film and makes it worth watching, though there are many better films to spend your time with. There are many worse ones, too.