Dark Passage (18)

Convicted of murder but protesting his innocence, Vincent Parry escapes from San Quentin. When he's picked up by the wealthy and mysterious Irene Jansen, the unlikely pair set out to make a clean break. But first, Vincent will need a new identity and an appointment with a backstreet plastic surgeon.

Dark Passage's wildly outlandish narrative set-up is just about carried off thanks to the sheer star power of Lauren Bacall and Humphrey Bogart. The actors' efforts are aided by the stylish direction of Delmer Daves, who uses atmospheric San Francisco locations to add an air of film noir maturity to proceedings.

The director has fun with the camerawork too; making ingenious, playful use of subjective shooting techniques to hide Vincent's true appearance. When he is revealed to have one of the most recognisable mugs in movie history, the reaction of Bacall and Bogart is wonderfully laconic.