Develiker terrible... so disappointed.

SpuffyWeb Sadly Over-hyped

Matrixiole Simple and well acted, it has tension enough to knot the stomach.

Fairaher The film makes a home in your brain and the only cure is to see it again.

Ed-Shullivan I was mostly disappointed in Humphrey Bogart's performance as lawyer Andrew Morton who was too busy to defend and take care of a storekeepers assault charge while his little store was in the process of being robbed. The result being another lawyer from his firm who was unprepared to fight the case sent this poor innocent immigrant Italian storekeeper to the hoosegow where he unexpectedly dies of a heart attack and leaves his family without a father. The now fatherless son named Nick Romano played by John Derek is lost without his father's financial and parental support and guidance and ends up running with the wrong crowd in a desperate means to make some quick money by robbing storefronts and mugging innocent working stiffs. As the boy Nick Romano grows into a young man and learns his thieving trade in the school of hard "knocks" he runs into lawyer Andrew Morton who is burdened with a guilty conscience for the avoidable death of Nick's father while wrongfully in prison. So lawyer Andrew Morton attempts to keep an eye on the troubled youth Nick Romano but to no avail as Nick is eventually charged with the murder of an on duty police officer in Nicks neighborhood.The story of how Nick Romano found himself on trial for the murder of a police officer is told rather boorishly through Andrew Morton's interpretation to twelve (12) jurors. Typically in movie scenes that involve a prosecuting and defense attorney(s) there is a heated exchange while the accused is on the stand. In this case though the endless barrage of questions that the prosecutor district attorney Kerman played by George Macready throws at the befuddled accused Nick Romano is so choreographed that I thought I was witnessing a high school debate and not a murder trial.It was difficult to continue watching what seemed to be an ill prepared cast to handle a court room drama such that my mind kept wandering off as the film was unable to hold this viewers attention. Even Humphrey Bogart could not save this poorly delivered cookie cutter court room drama picture so the film title in my view would suggest that the vendors should please pass by my door as this dog bites with his honest review.p.s. Bogie's best picture in my view was (1951) The African Queen with co-star Katharine Hepburn and this is a must see if you want to see Bogart at his very best. Please read my full review on The African Queen dated August 04th, 2016

Martin Teller As in THEY LIVE BY NIGHT and later REBEL WITHOUT A CAUSE, Nicholas Ray explores the life of a troubled youth, driven by fate and circumstance to exist outside societal rules. In this case, John Derek is a fella from the slums, being defended by attorney Humphrey Bogart for the murder of a policeman. The film uses a series of flashbacks to reveal the developing relationship between the two as Bogart tries to reform the boy but his efforts are thwarted by the cold, unfeeling world around them. Even as a bleeding heart liberal, I found the moralizing a bit much, especially in Bogart's pleas to the jury. However, the performances are excellent and the film has a sensitive, poetic rhythm to it. The stylish camera-work by Burnett Guffey (one of the greats) maintains the noir vibe, with some gorgeous sequences. Also, the third act is a courtroom drama that manages to avoid a lot of the predictable tropes. Perhaps too earnest and a tad too slow, but a sorrowful and often beautiful movie.

vincentlynch-moonoi I think this is a fine movie, with a tremendous performance by Humphrey Bogart.A lawyer -- Bogart -- defends Nick Romano (John Derek), a good boy that turned into a juvenile delinquent when his childhood went bad when his father died...in part due to his lawyer's negligence (Bogart). The older Nick got, the more of a thug he became, although for a while, after he married a sweet girl, it seemed as if things were turning around for him. Eventually, Nick goes on trial for viciously killing a policeman. Bogart's legal strategy is to argue that the slums bred Nick into a criminal. Bogart has a field day in the courtroom scenes...one his strongest performances...in a film produced by his own production company.Reviewer Bosley Crowther called the film "a pretentious social melodrama". Well, it is a social melodrama...a rather liberal one, though I'm not sure why Crowther called it "pretentious".While Bogart's performance is dominant, John Derek's debut is very strong. Unfortunately, I'm not sure Derek ever lived up to this early promise. As he was nicknamed in this film, he was a pretty boy, and as Bogart reportedly told him, that would not be enough.A fine film that might belong on your DVD shelf.

Neil Doyle KNOCK ON ANY DOOR and you'll find a kid like Nick Romano, living in the slums and headed for a life of crime. That's the theory proposed by HUMPHREY BOGART, as a lawyer defending Nick after the boy is on trial for killing a policeman. I tend to agree with Leonard Maltin who calls it a "serious but dated drama" that serves as a star vehicle for JOHN DEREK rather than Bogart in the top-billed lead.Nicholas Ray directs it with authority, keeping it a tense and taut tale of juvenile delinquency and using the flashback technique to keep the narrative flowing smoothly as Bogart builds a sob story defense for the boy before a skeptical but carefully chosen jury.ALLENE ROBERTS is the nice girl Derek can't forget and doesn't want to get hurt by his inability to stay off the mean streets. The juvenile delinquency theme is never handled with as much realism as it would be years later when Nicholas Ray directed James Dean and Natalie Wood in REBEL WITHOUT A CAUSE. JOHN DEREK is almost too clean-cut to be totally convincing as a young hood but he certainly fits the description of "pretty boy".The performances are all top notch, and Bogart is solid and smooth as the lawyer whose own past involved a brush with crime. Unfortunately, the romance between Derek and Allene Roberts seems fabricated and their involvement never seems believable with her character being too sweet and naive.Summing up: Interesting but dated crime drama will satisfy Bogart's fans. The final courtroom scene gives the film a much needed punch and Bogart is at his best in his final plea to the jury. The judge's final decision may come as a surprise to some.