What a satisfying film. This is my second Bogart film and first Bacall. The mood is sultry alright, just like the box says. The dialogue is sharp. Bogart is great. The relationship is a little forced but I don't care any more than I care about the sets, the fake rain (also quite heavy) and the fact that you never quite forget you're watching a movie. I'll take it. What else can I get?

Okay, the truth is I don't feel comfortable making artistic criticisms of Bogart films from the 40's, but if I had to change anything, I would shorten the film by about ten to fifteen minutes here and there, mostly transitions and action sequences that didn't really do anything for me. I still thoroughly enjoyed it.

On the DVD, there's a special feature in which Robert the Gitt tries to say the final 1946 version is better than the original 1945 version. I haven't watched the entire 1946 version straight through, but I suspect he's wrong. They showed the two versions of the scene where Bogart's tied up and says, 'got rid of her didn't we.' The 1945 version is clearly better because the wording is better, and not having the previous dinner scene makes her ultimate gesture/decision more spontaneous and less predictable. This will make sense when you see the film.