A Dangerous Profession (1949) User Reviews

Raft's Conflicts

[bkoganbing · 6/10 · 1 June 2010]

Although George Raft and Pat O'Brien share star billing in A Dangerous Profession, the film's action is mainly carried by Raft with O'Brien strictly in support. The two of them play bail bondsman, partners in a bail bond firm. But Raft has a professional and romantic past that get in the way here.

Ella Raines with whom Raft had a fling while she was separated from husband Bill Williams comes to Raft for help with bail. Williams comes from a rich background, but his daddy squandered the family fortune and he's not up to a lifestyle change. Williams gets himself in with some crooks doing a little white collar crime and finds himself hung with a murder rap of the investigating detective.

The plot starts out like a poor man's Casablanca with Raft like Bogart coming to the aid of his former love's husband whom he didn't know anything about. O'Brien who's not thinking with his hormones doesn't want the firm involved, but Raft insists. Later on Williams turns up dead himself and then Raft's old profession of police detective kicks in despite O'Brien warning him of an inherent conflict of interest.

I wish we had seen a little more of Pat O'Brien, but A Dangerous Profession is a competently made noir film. Ella Raines does well as a combination of Lauren Bacall and Lizabeth Scott in her role as the woman that everyone can't resist. Jim Backus plays Raft's former partner as a cop and he's showing some versatility here that will surprise those who only know him as the inept Mr. Magoo and the rich Thurston Howell IV.

One of the competently made noir films that Raft was doing in the later part of the Forties. His films would go considerably downhill shortly.

routine but with a good cast

[blanche-2 · 6/10 · 1 October 2014]

George Raft, Ella Raines, Pat O'Brien, Jim Backus, and Bill Williams star in "A Dangerous Profession," a 1949 film directed by Ted Tetzlaff.

Vince Kane (Raft) is an ex-cop who now works as a bail bondsman with his friend Joe Farley (O'Brien). A detective, Nick Ferrone (Backus) arrests Claude Brackette (Williams) a suspect in a robbery during which a police officer was killed. Kane finds out that Brackette's wife is none other than his old girlfriend, Lucy (Raines).

Lucy wants her husband out on bail. She believes he's innocent. The bail is set at $25,000, and she only has $4,000. Still angry over their breakup, and the fact that he didn't know she was married when they were together, Kane shows her the door. Then a mystery man gives Kane $12,000 toward the bail. Vince puts the company's money over the objection of his partner.

Vince thinks that an associate of Brackette's, a nightclub owner, was the brains behind the robbery. Kane poses as a crook, something that his demeanor lends itself to, and blackmails McKay to see if he can find out if he's guilty.

Fairly routine, with Raft his usual dapper and smooth self. This plot gets a little convoluted, probably due to edits. Not the best, but if you like Raft and the lovely Ella Raines, you'll enjoy it. Bill Williams played Kit Carson on TV and married to Barbara Hale, TV's Della Street on Perry Mason, for 46 years, until his death. He's the father of actor William Katt, and there's quite a resemblance.

Murder, Obsession & An Enigmatic Woman

[seymourblack-1 · 7/10 · 15 February 2016]

A murder investigation, an enigmatic woman and a man who's obsessed with her, are three typical film noir components that are featured in this movie. A lot less typical however, is the fact that the story's main protagonist is a bail bondsman who gets caught up in a mystery that's linked to a robbery, a couple of murders and a character with more than one identity. During the course of his investigation, he has to take some significant risks and as someone who's only been in the bail bonding business for a relatively short time, discovers that his new profession is considerably more dangerous than he could ever have imagined.

After arresting a man called Claude Brackett (Bill Williams) who he'd been pursuing for some time, LAPD Detective Lieutenant Nick Ferrone (Jim Backus) asks his old friend and ex-cop Vince Kane (George Raft) to go with him to search the man's apartment. Kane, who's now the junior partner in a bail bonding brokerage, is surprised when he becomes aware of a familiar fragrance in one of the rooms and sees some items of ladies' clothing and footwear that he also recognises. Before he leaves, he places one of his business cards in a conspicuous position.

Shortly after, Kane is visited in his office by Brackett's wife Lucy (Ella Raines) and her lawyer who want his help to raise the $25,000 that's being demanded to get Brackett released on bail. Brackett's bail had been set at a high level because, as well as being suspected of being involved in a securities robbery, it's also possible that he killed a policeman who died at the crime scene. Lucy is one of Kane's old flames who disappeared from his life without any explanation and left him devastated. She says her husband's innocent but, as she's only able to raise $4,000 is seems unlikely that Kane can help. However, when another lawyer called Matthew Dawson (David Wolfe) calls by his office the next day and offers to put up an additional sum of $12,000, Kane agrees to help out. Senior partner Joe Farley (Pat O'Brien) is angry about Kane's decision to risk so much of the business' money to get Brackett released from police custody but things soon get worse when Brackett is found murdered and Kane feels compelled to investigate the circumstances that led to his violent death.

A tension that's created by Kane and Lucy's past relationship and the fact that Kane obviously still has strong feelings for her, runs right through the movie and is intensified by Lucy's confusing actions and body language. This makes Kane distrust her assertions that she doesn't still love her husband and makes him dubious about her explanations of what was taking place in her life when they originally met. Ella Raines' skill in being this mysterious in so natural a way is impressive and makes Lucy more interesting than she would otherwise have been.

Kane's success in identifying the villains at the heart of the mystery (through his conversation with a cigarette girl) and the actions that he takes to bring their activities to an end are carried out quite efficiently with some extra excitement being generated by the action scenes at the end of the movie. George Raft is convincing as a tough guy and does a good job overall.

This movie has a strong cast, good momentum throughout and an especially good performance by Ella Raines. Its weakest point, however, is its dialogue which isn't as sharp or as witty as this type of crime drama requires.

Penal Code - 1096

[hitchcockthelegend · 6/10 · 28 May 2014]

A Dangerous Profession is directed by Ted Tetzlaff and written by Warren Duff and Martin Rackin. It stars George Raft, Ella Raines, Pat O'Brien, Bill Williams and Jim Backus. Music is by Frederick Hollander and cinematography by Robert De Grasse.

The scene is set, it's Los Angeles and Police Lt. Nick Ferrone (Backus) explains to us with stentorian narration about the whiles of bail bond brokers. This story is concerned with one in particular, Vince Kane (Raft), a one time policeman who followed the lure of the coin into a partnership of a bail bonds operation. It's all going swimmingly well, he's making lots of cash, has gals eating out of his hand, but when a pretty face from his past turns up requesting a favour? Vince suddenly finds himself in a quagmire of murder, deceit and emotional discord.

What cop ever reformed?

Shall we cut to the chase here? This is not a "great" film, though I do believe that it's very under seen and therefore the meagre internet ratings it has - and the lack of reviews for it - don't quite tell the whole story.

There's nothing particularly striking about the visual aspects here, De Grasse's photography occasionally falls in line with what film noir fans consider standard procedure, which has led a few critics to question the film's film noir status. This is all about Vince Kane and how he is thrust into a murky new world by a slinky femme, it may be a whodunit in essence, but the Vince and Lucy Brackett (Raines) axis is most assuredly noir.

You phony Gumshoe!

Action is in short supply, leaving much of the piece in talky territory. There's a few zinger lines of dialogue in the mix, but mostly it's screen writing 101. Yet in spite of the mixed qualities on offer here, it's a film that Raft fans are sure to enjoy, because he's very much great value as the stoic but emotionally troubled Vince. In fact O'Brien turns in one of his better performances and Raines is pleasingly sultry, meaning the cast perform well up to scratch, even if the screenplay does them few favours.

A mixed bag for sure, and hardly essential for fans of such cinematic fare, but there's just enough from the cast to make this one above average. 6/10

Mildly Diverting

[telegonus · 7/10 · 15 April 2003]

A Dangerous Profession is a mildly diverting crime picture featuring a fine cast headed by veterans George Raft and Pat O'Brien, both of whom had seen better days by the time they appeared in this picture. Nor is the direction of the usually reliable Ted Tetzlaff up to his usual standard. This is the kind of small scale but not quite grade B movie that television was about to make obsolete, and as such an interesting historical footnote of a bygone era for those who care for such things.

A bit convoluted and difficult to believe but worth seeing.

[planktonrules · 6/10 · 13 April 2016]

"A Dangerous Profession" is a decent enough film...the sort mildly entertaining stuff that George Raft made in the post-war years. It begins with Vince (Raft) working as a bail bondsman along with his partner (Pat O'Brien). Apparently Vince used to be a cop but decided to change careers. Why he wanted a change soon becomes apparently when his old girlfriend, Lucy (Ella Raines) shows up to try to bail her stupid husband out of jail. This IS a surprise...as Vince hasn't heard from her since she disappeared some time ago...nor did he know she was married...and had been when he knew her! Of course it's a surprise but Vince is a dope...so he helps her and her dopier husband. But when the husband soon is murdered, things get really, really confusing. So what's next?

This is a mildly interesting film but it suffers a bit from Raft's relatively dull screen persona as well as his being a bit too trusting to be realistic. The story also becomes a bit confusing and is, if you think about it, a bit like a reworking of "Casablanca"! Odd but worth seeing if you like old film noir movies.

"Wild thoughts come from nowhere... Be careful of them."

[classicsoncall · 7/10 · 19 May 2016]

The only thing missing here is Charlie Chan showing up at the end to tell the viewer what just happened. Actually it's not all that complicated, but you do have to pay attention because there's a bit of sleight of hand with character Roy Collins (Robert Gist), who's using the alias of Max Gibney doing a money hand-off to an attorney named Dawson (David Wolfe), who winds up having nothing to do with the murder mystery. Not exactly a maguffin, but a distraction nonetheless.

The early going can be a little confusing so don't get up for a cup of coffee. Eventually it's revealed that former cop turned bail bondsman Vince Kane (George Raft) once had a thing for sultry Lucy Brackett (Ella Raines), and now finds himself in a vise between his partner Joe Farley (Pat O'Brien), police lieutenant Nick Ferrone (Jim Backus), and night club owner Jerry McKay (Roland Winters). Might as well mention Lucy's husband just got nailed for securities fraud and a two year old murder rap of another cop. Claude Brackett (Bill Williams) took the easy way out getting himself knocked off by one of the guys who framed him; it's Kane's job to try and figure it all out.

Ella Raines has the perfect femme fatale persona going for her in this little noir mystery but somebody goofed with her hair, looking like she just came in out of the rain. Jim Backus offers up a much harder edge to his character than one might be used to seeing, and gets tough with Kane for putting up the extra bond money for Brackett, suspecting a collusion angle with Lucy. After everything gets sorted out in the frantic finale I was left with a single but giant question mark - why would Vince hand his gun over to McKay on the way to pick up Collins/Gibney?

Laconic RKO Potboiler

[richardchatten · 5/10 · 14 March 2021]

Richard Winnington was a bit unfair on George Raft when he accused him of just going through the motions "without a flicker of expression or removing his hat", since he takes his hat off quite often in this involved but uninvolving tale of bail bond officers, the Dangerous Profession of the title.

It's actually far more laid back that the rather dramatic title indicates and too brightly lit to qualify as 'film noir'. Pat O'Brien and Jim Backus (who also supplies the opening narration) seem to be enjoying cynically sauntering about in big suits more than Raft himself.

George Raft, Bail Bondsman

[boblipton · 6/10 · 25 August 2020]

George Raft was a cop. Now he's a bail bondsman, in partnership with Pat O'Brien. A series of disappearing clients has him worried, as does Ella Raines, an old girl friend who reappears in his life.

It's a noirish sort of movie without many of the trappings; the most dramatic bit of lighting occurs in a shot of the firm's secretary taking a call, with the light shining through, the company's logo etched in reverse on the wall above and behind her. Ted Tetzlaff's direction is workmanlike, and as often seems the case, Raft's delivery is fast and guarded, giving the impression, as so many of his later movies do, that he's there for a paycheck, and anxious to get through the shoot as fast as he can. Jim Backus steals the movie as a police detective who seems to have a relationship with Raft.

Stellar cast can't save pedestrian crime drama

[JohnSeal · 4/10 · 15 December 2001]

George Raft, Pat O'Brien, Ella Raines, Jim Backus...how can you go wrong? Warren Duff and Martin Rackin's screenplay is a total dud, being both boring and convoluted. Let's face it, bail bondsmen don't lead the most exciting lives, and this is an awfully long 79 minutes.

ex-cop bail bondsman involved in intricate plot with ex-flame

[RanchoTuVu · 8/10 · 3 June 2010]

A career police detective turned bail bondsman (George Raft) meets his ex-flame (Ella Raines) (he knows it's her because of the scent of the perfume that's in her and her husband's hotel room which he and detective Jim Backus search) in a fairly intricate story about her husband (Bill Williams) whose arrested for suspicion of killing a cop and then bailed out by Raft, against the wishes of his partner (Pat O'Brien). Why he's bailed out and who actually comes up with sufficient money to get him out of jail make for interesting viewing. As well, Ella Raines hits some of her more sultry looking scenes in this movie, which may not be the best movie she's ever been in, but still percolates along more than acceptably, especially when the real killer emerges as the sharp little film heads out of LA and into a convenient canyon.

Satisfyingly complex plot with lovely Raines - not spoiled by inert wooden Raft

[declancooley · 6/10 · 1 April 2022]

I'll admit the first 30 mins were tough-going; Raft's blank-faced, ironing-board-stiff acting had me dream-casting other actors in his place. Then, with the whole blandness of the scenes and the drabness of the sets along with the byzantine storyline and ambivalence of attitude and the femme fatale lite and the grey moral dilemmas aplenty, suddenly I started to really love it - even Raft's flatness fit right in with the dreary decor and one-dimensional bit players - besides the labyrinthine plot, there is the sheer variety of locations and interaction, including some fascinating outdoor shots in the latter half. It would never win awards - but with the qualities mentioned above - the odd great shot and the occasional catchy zinger - this has an exquisite pleasure all its own. I commend this to your good self.

A film about a bail bondsman by people who don't know how a bail bondsman operates

[RickeyMooney · 3/10 · 10 September 2020]

The twist of this film is that Bill Williams is in jail with his bail set at $25,000 and Ella Raines, his wife, seeks to have him bailed out by bail bondsman George Raft, with whom she had a platonic affair (the production code still held some sway in 1949) while married to Williams. But she only has $4,000 and Raft and his partner Pat O'Brien want her to come up with the whole $25,000. Duh, if she had the $25,000 she wouldn't need them; she would post the bail. The whole point of the bail bond business is that you pay them about 10% of the bail amount and they put up the rest. In return for their fee they assume liability for the whole amount if the defendant skips town. Later, when a mysterious and obviously fraudulent stranger offers Raft and O'Brien $12,000 towards the $25,000 bond, they somewhat unethically keep that plus the $4,000 and still worry that they're not being paid enough.

Williams's crime is also hard to understand. He is said to have cashed $150,000 in securities for two men without knowing they were stolen. Somehow he is unable to name or describe these men, although one of them owns a night club he frequents. Similarly, incorruptible cop Jim Backus wasn't able to find Williams for two years despite his being in plain sight. And despite Williams being unable to identify the two men, they want him killed so he can't identify them.

This film has the noir look and cast but it's more like a routine detective story where the detective (or ex-cop bail bondsman in this case) goes on a sort of treasure hunt where person A sends him to B who sends him to C and so on until the movie has gone on long enough for him to solve the case.

Backus acts like Raft's posting bond for this inept patsy was equivalent to springing a mass murderer. O'Brien keeps acting suspiciously for no reason. Raines doesn't strike me as the femme fatale she's supposed to be, but that's just personal taste.

Obligatory car-driving-over-cliff scene. L. A.'s canyons were littered with auto bodies in those days.

Has its Moments but Can't Sustain a Tone Worth Noting Mediocre

[LeonLouisRicci · 6/10 · 10 April 2016]

A Few Shots with Shadows do not a Film-Noir make. But it adds a bit of Atmosphere to otherwise Mediocre Melodramas and Crime Procedurals.

The Overrated and almost always Stiff Screen Persona of George Raft has Puzzled Modern Film Historians. Competent, but Never Compelling, Likable, or even Very Good He managed a Long and Inconsistent Career Playing, well, George Raft.

Ella Raines, She of the Piercing Eyes, is the Dame in this Drama that is Mildly Interesting but hardly Essential Viewing. The Plot Plods at a Mundane Pace and it's Talky and Tepid most of the time. Pat O'Brien gives one of His Better Outings as an Ambiguous Bail Bondsman and Partner of Raft.

The Ending is Wrapped in a Neat Little Bow and the Direction and Screenplay are Pedestrian. Worth a Watch, just don't Expect a Solid Film-Noir or anything approaching First Rate.

An Entertaining Noir That Raft Manages To Carry Almost Singlehandedly.

[Starwyvern-589274 · 7/10 · 16 April 2024]

Even though George Raft had a considerable abundance of talent as an actor, the same couldn't exactly be said in regards to his judgment. More specifically, he had a tendency to turn down many roles that other actors would end up taking, with many of Humphrey Bogart's most famous roles being perfect instances. Nevertheless, even when his career had mostly shifted towards B-movies, Raft was still able to make the most with what he had to work with. One of those films was this noir from 1949, in which Raft manages to carry almost singlehandedly.

A Dangerous Profession is an interesting noir that makes for an entertaining experience. Unlike other film noirs, this one doesn't exactly have the type of action usually associated with the genre, so some might be disappointed if they were expecting to see such elements. Instead, it's mostly driven by the actors and how they interact in the film. With that said, the movie is still worth seeing, and manages to rather effectively utilize what it has.

The film tells the story of bail bondsmen, with one of them being Vince Kane, who became one after leaving his previous profession as a police detective. One day, he receives a visit from a woman named Lucy Brackett, who requests that he help bail out her husband, Claude, whose bail is set at a large sum of $25,000. To his surprise, he sees that this woman in question is an old lover of his. After some initially reluctance, he ultimately contributes to the bail and before long, Lucy's husband is released. Shortly thereafter, Claude goes missing and eventually turns up dead. Upon finding out, Vince decides to basically return to his old profession and investigate on his own. However, this creates a few tensions with the police, who try to remind him repeatedly that he's out of his depth. What ultimately follows makes for noir film that proves to be engaging, with the contributions from the actors being the primary driving force.

As mentioned previously, George Raft makes the most of what he works with in this film. Much like some of the other films he was in at this stage of his career, his performance might seem on the low-key side, however, it works because it fits with the type of character he's playing, one who might seem cynical, but when things go south, he steps up to the challenge, showing the tough guy characteristics that he became known for during the 1930's. Something else that's interesting to point out is that while there are some exciting moments in the film, it focuses more on the interactions of the characters. While the film could have used some more action and scenes of excitement to it, that isn't to say that the focus on the characters was a detriment, because I did find many of their interactions to be engaging, such as whenever George Raft is interacting with Ella Rains.

In addition to Raft, the other actors in the film also manage to put forth some effective efforts. Ella Rains was a pleasure to watch, in which she plays Raft's ex-fiancée, who seems to be torn between her husband and the fact that she's still in love with Raft. While she and Raft do have some scenes of tension together, there are also a few scenes where they show genuine chemistry. Pat O'Brien was also effective, in which he plays Raft's partner in the bonds business. A rather pleasant surprise was the performance of Jim Backus, as a police lieutenant who has a few spats with Raft over the latter's actions, particularly when Raft decides to start investigating the death of his client. Ultimately, while George Raft might be the main star here, the rest of the cast manage to also make the most with what they have to work with.

To reiterate, A Dangerous Profession is an interesting noir picture that is worth seeing, if nothing else, for the performances of the cast. Had George Raft not had such poor judgement and turned down many roles that would become some of the most famous in film history, one can only imagine what his career would've been like. However, even if he did mostly become a secondary actor in the later stage of his career, Raft still was usually great in the roles that he ended up playing, as he still had the skills to carry a film.

The Ultimate Bond Movie.

[mark.waltz · 5/10 · 26 March 2013]

Bail bondsman George Raft gets in over his head when he bails out robbery suspect Bill Williams, the husband of an old girlfriend (Ella Raines). This puts him up against various factors on both sides of the law including a fellow former partner (Jim Backus, ultra-serious here) and officer Pat O'Brien. As he gets further involved in his ex-girlfriend's life and finds out information on Williams, the pieces of the puzzle get more puzzling, resulting in a murder.

This is certainly watchable, if a sometimes dull film noir/mystery, the audience getting equally as confused as Raft as he tries to wrap everything up. The intro lesson on how the bondsman works is interesting, but perhaps a different case with more developed characters and less people involved in the first place. Still, lighting and shadows provide the right atmosphere, and Raft's detective work is appropriately seedy. One of the people whom Raft interviews slightly looks and very much sounds like Werner Klemperer of "Hogan's Heroes" even though he is not listed in the credits for this film.

Film noir let down by poor execution

[Leofwine_draca · 4/10 · 29 April 2016]

A DANGEROUS PROFESSION is a rather disappointing slice of film noir starring gangster favourite George Raft. Raft plays a former cop now working as a bail bondsman who is persuaded by a femme fatale to help raise the money to get her innocent husband out of prison. However, on his release the plot thickens, and Raft finds himself up against some sinister criminal types if he wants justice to be served.

The plot is an interesting one and all of the ingredients are right, so it's just a pity the execution is so sloppy here. A DANGEROUS PROFESSION is anything but dangerous: there's endless talk, a bored-looking Raft wandering around aimlessly for a long while, and not much else. It lacks suspense and a sense of pace to keep it moving along, and instead it just feels stodgy. I did like Ella Raines as the alluring femme fatale, though, and Pat O'Brien is always watchable.

"I Have A Legitimate Racket"

[davidcarniglia · 8/10 · 6 December 2018]

Admittedly, I'm a noir-fiend, but I don't see any noticeable flaws with A Dangerous Profession. George Raft, Pat O'Brien, Jim Backus, and Ella Raines all give good performances, the pacing moves along nicely, the atmosphere and dialogue fit well. It all adds up. The plot has some stretches, but it makes sense. The best aspect here is the conflicted characters.

Vince (Raft) isn't entirely on the level; he starts off in a craps game, he pursues a married woman, and gets the police (Backus's Lt. Ferrone) wondering what he's up to. His partner, Joe (Pat O'Brien) plays a double game on Vince, and his long-lost girlfriend Lucy (Raines) turns hot and cold on him. This seems just right for the ambiguous noir world; nothing's as it seems, no one's completely trustworthy.

It does seem kind of nutty that Vince would go out on such a limb for Lucy's husband Claude (Bill Williams). His disappearance and murder makes Vince seem both a dupe and an opportunist. Still, he has enough vested in Lucy that he feels obligated to help her. That makes Elaine's (Betty Underwood's) role seem superfluous; but, the fact that he's initially quite attracted to her shows that he'll literally drop everything for Lucy.

Vince is in continuous danger after the murder, but he never burns his bridges--he doesn't give up on Lucy, Joe, or Ferrone--and, as it turns out, he needs all of them. The only consistently bad guy, Roy Collins/Max Gibney (Robert Gist), apparently is evil enough for two identities. Even he seems more slick and sneaky than a conventionally sadistic hit man; still, he's killed two people. It's interesting that Claude's murder unintentionally makes the happiest outcome a possibility. Given that, in Lucy's eyes, Claude can't hold a candle to Vince. it's plausible they could end up together down the road anyway.

It might've been better had Claude been more of a rival to Vince, but, although Lucy admits she still loves Vince, she hardly throws herself at him. Similarly, Elaine more or less disappears after Lucy shows up. I could see a version in which Claude is more of a husband to Lucy, and Elaine is more of a girlfriend to Vince. I think the chemistry with Vince and Lucy works fine, and the lack of it between Claude and Lucy is convincing enough to make these relationships credible. The detail with the flower bringing back the memory of Lucy, as well as placing her back in Vince's world, is an elegant device.

The denouement fight scene on the canyon roadside is well-handled. It brings all the (remaining) principle characters together, and literally sorts out the plot. A Dangerous Profession is definitely worth watching as a noir piece with a bit more depth than many others of its kind. 8/10.

The Big Snooze

[rick-gleitsmann · 4/10 · 17 January 2013]

I wouldn't exactly call this a noir, although it is a hardboiled detective yarn. It reminded me of The Big Sleep mainly because of its rambling story line. Raft is no Bogart and Ella Raines is no Bacall. His stiff delivery gets tiring after you realize he really doesn't have anything interesting to say. Her sultriness falls far short of what's required for the role of bad girl. And her hair is incredibly awful.

The photography was above par. When the character of Lucy is introduced in the story, you just see the back of her hat. Then there's a close-up, and well, it's just Ella Raines. The script is a lot of yak, some of it's kinda good, but it's still mainly a yakfest. I gave-up after 55 minutes.

monotony to the flow

[SnoopyStyle · 5/10 · 13 September 2020]

Joe Farley (Pat O'Brien) and ex-cop Vince Kane (George Raft) are bail bondsmen partners in L.A. Vince gets a call from police detective friend Nick Ferrone. Nick is investigating Claude Brackette. Claude's wife Lucy is Vince's old flame and she convinces him to sign a bail bond for her husband despite failing to raise the required 10%.

This is stylized pulp. It's mannered noir. It's deliberately hard at all times. All of that is great but the story is wading through mud. It takes way too long to get to the meat of the story. It's the Muzak. It's the monotone world. It's very static. It's a lot of verbal dancing but in a circular motion. There is a monotony to the flow. It's going and getting nowhere quickly. It doesn't have the action to pump up the intensity until the final five minutes. It's pulp in many sense of the word.

Very deadly.

[bombersflyup · 1/10 · 18 July 2018]

A Dangerous Profession is a dull bail bonds film-noir yarn. I didn't buy what was being sold.

Another reviewer stated it reminded them of "The Big Sleep" and I couldn't agree more, this film also had me dozing off like that one. Though, Raines over Bacall any day for me.