Even in 1935, DANGEROUS was considered a lousy film, but it began the tradition Hollywood has of awarding actors who were ignored the previous year with the golden statuette. Bette Davis, a year after her standout (if imperfect, as it now is considered a furious but over the top) performance in OF HUMAN BONDAGE, made this film and time has proved her right: even in a sub-par movie, she is the only reason to watch it. Less flighty, but still quite close to Mildred Rogers, Joyce Heath is one of those women that need a quick reality check in order to bring them back to Earth. At the start of the movie, she is this washed-up actress who's taken to drinking herself into a near coma and is practically panting in self-hatred. Why, well: she states that she's bad luck, that she's no good, that she is, essentially, Damaged Goods. Does Franchot Tone believe it once he shows up? Not really. He's decided to Help Her Get Back On Her Feet, and that he does, granting Davis first a chance to chew him to bits in a Mildred Rogers type scene, then to confess just how she loves him and will act in a play she's been eyeballing for some time. They make quite a good pair, though, and it's rumored that he's the reason Davis and Crawford decided that they didn't quite like each other after all. For once, Davis doesn't out-shine her leading man as he, even in this sort of too-good-to-be-true kind of guy, manages to stand on his own. A late twist in DANGEROUS doesn't quite work as much as to leave Tone and Davis hanging and in a "doomed relationship" situation, but it's really secondary even when John Eldridge, playing Davis' slacker husband who won't grant her a divorce, is creepy but brief. There is a brief moment reminiscent of ALL ABOUT EVE as well, with Davis as Joyce Heath rehearsing a role for a play that will be her comeback vehicle. All in all, a must for Davis fans, but pretty colorless all the way through.
