A hard-edged drama of heroin addiction, starring Don Murray, Eva Marie Saint, and Antonio Franciosa. Murray's the addict, Johnny; but he drags in and drags down every one who cares about him: wife Celia (Saint), brother Polo (Franciosa), and father, John, Sr. (Lloyd Nolan). Lurking literally, in the shadows are the reptilian drug dealer and his henchmen, Mother, Church, and Apples (Henry Silva, Gerald S. O'Loughlin, and William Hickey).
In addition, Polo's an alcoholic. It's no wonder, as, ironically, he's both the de facto fixer of the family, and the goat for everyone's failings. Dad thinks he's a chump for backing out of an investment scheme. Polo hides Johnny's problem for as long as possible (while enabling it by financing his habit, thus spending what he promised dad), and, most significantly, he undermines both Johnny and his wife by nurturing and affair with her.
The movie is therefore not just about drug addiction and the wide snare of horror that it casts. Although 1951's The Lost Weekend has a similar feel, in that Ray Milland's alcoholic character in that movie is falling apart in front of us, as Johnny is here; Milland is our point of view throughout. Though his family suffers from his addiction, the consequences are more indirect because Don (Milland) is seemingly alone on the 'wrong' side of life.
But in Hatful of Rain it's sometimes hard to tell who is more messed up between Johnny and Polo. Certainly, both Milland and Murray prowl the New York City night desperate and degraded. The major difference is that it doesn't take a load of goons to get fixed for alcohol. In fact, the bartender in Lost Weekend is the model of normality and basic decency.
Another major difference between these two addiction films is the (somewhat absurd) premise that Polo is the only one who knows what's wrong with Johnny, until very late in the game. Milland's Don, on the other hand, begins with a shaky rehab in progress, with his brother and fiancee hoping they can leave him to his own devices for that Lost Weekend.
In any case, because of the strange family dynamics, Johnny has to act like his brother isn't so bad for short-changing Pops; while Johnny, the good kid, comes off as a nice family man. Johnny does start to crumble and grumble to his dad; he's as disappointed in him as Polo. Apparently, although John, Sr., wants to think the three of them have "something special," it's more wishful thinking and bombast.
Dad has been emotionally distant. Still, it's clear that he cares about his sons; like everyone else here, he's basically a decent guy who's flawed. He's stuck in a rut of his own; and doesn't pick up on Johnny's fairly obvious hints about his habit.
The harrowing sequence in which Johnny nearly causes Polo to crash the car as they head to meet the pusher, and his subsequent hallucination when the hoods come to his apartment, is as disturbing as it is riveting. "I'll make good for it!" pleads Polo with Mother, so Johnny can get "straightened out" (i.e., fixed). Now Polo has to sell his car to keep the dope flowing--not to mention that Johnny will probably get beat up if his account isn't also 'fixed.'
Celia comes home to tell Johnny that she no longer loves him; of course, though, she's carrying their baby. This scene comes just as he's promised Polo that he's kicking the habit. "Don't do to me (ignore, reject) what I did to you!" Johnny implores of her. They tentatively make up. Now she brushes off Polo when he comes in; she thinks that the two guys are talking about her, when they're in fact talking about the dope.
This scene plays out with great feeling. Johnny confesses to Celia that he's a junkie. Dad, oblivious as always, arrives. The last bit of this long denouement is for dad to discover the secret. "Ok, I'll play straight man. What's going on here?" Johnny tells him. Celia and John, Sr. react in predictable ways: Celia accepts it calmly, but figures that they can deal with it; Johnny's dad carries on about it. He tells Celia "You've been sleeping with a dope addict?" Good point.
They regroup when Celia has to go to the doctor to check on the baby. Once again, Polo takes all the heat from dad; it's as though it's Polo's fault about Johnny. Waiting for him when he gets home are the creeps: he pays or gets clubbed. Luckily, Polo arrives just in time to pay Mother off. Of course the hoods don't believe him when he says he's done with the stuff.
When dad and Celia get back, she wants to get him in rehab right away; dad and Polo don't think so, even dad tries to minimize it. She fundamentally concerned because of a slight chance that the baby could be affected by drugs (very progressive thinking for the era to mention this). She gets her way, calling the police to get him committed to a rehab program (probably not as smooth as it sounds). The end.
Hatful of Rain is full of great character studies: Johnny, Polo, and their dad are very different, finely nuanced people; they have just enough in common to keep them together. Celia is not given much to do but put up with all of these guys; it's a bad pun, but Saint gives another of her saintly performances.
Maybe too much so; thanks to the script, it seems a bit incredible that she's clueless about Johnny's addiction. She's the one most involved in his life, obviously, and she's the one to take control ultimately. But that intervention, which makes complete sense, leads to such an abrupt ending that it seems too easy.
With those couple of reservations, this is a gripping story. The loose-cannon hoods add so much to the tense atmosphere; they're like the monsters under the bed, nightmarish, and mockingly comical. The message is so well layed-out that it's painful to watch. 9/10
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