Humphrey Bogart was the type of smooth leading man that made film noir great. I've said it before, I'll say it again: whenever you watch his movies, he always seems to ooze a kind of tough coolness. Maybe it's no surprise — the actor was allegedly just as nonchalant and quick-witted in real life. But there's one movie in particular that feels like a bit of a letdown from the good ol' Bogart routine: "Deadline — U.S.A."

Released in 1952, just a few years before Bogart's career would be tragically cut short, "Deadline — U.S.A." has all the makings of a great Bogart noir, at least on paper. As a newspaper committed to hard journalism suffered through its last days, editor-in-chief Ed Hutcheson (Bogart) tried to take down an untouchable mobster and save the paper. It's full of "Maltese Falcon"-style opportunities to banter with the bad guys, but somehow,...