Humphrey Bogart was always seen as a bitter and cynical actor. It’s hard to believe that such a person could make it as a major superstar. Despite this, Bogart did make it. Tokyo Joe is set on the fragile post-war Japan featuring Bogart as a colonel from the Air Force returning to Tokyo right after World War II with the hopes of living the normal life he once had running a nightclub. Soon after, he finds out that his former lover, a Russian refugee, has survived the war and is now happily married. He then makes it his goal to win her back. Little did he know that in the process, he would get involved in a deceptive air freight scam that may jeopardize the stability of post-war Japan and the fate of a child he never knew he had. While the movie isn’t classic, Tokyo Joe offers an explosive characterization especially at the moments when Bogart’s eyes catches the camera lighting or when he twists his otherwise calm voice into a snarl. Adding a dark personality into his character makes his righteous acts very powerful.
–Bret Fetzer
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