"Lovers on the run" is generally a rock-solid premise, and while Where Danger Lives is pretty generic for the most part, I think it manages to shake up the formula just enough to keep this sparse plot fairly interesting. Our hero is bruised and confused (sustaining one of the meanest concussions in film history), our femme fatale may or may not be totally certifiable, and we're not even certain that these two actually need to be running in the first place. It's all very vague and delirious, which I kinda liked.
Similarly, the adventure angle allows for a few nightmarish stops, from the used car salesman to the sketchy pawnbroker to the Whiskers Week wedding (seriously, what the hell was up with that town?). Maybe these aren't the most thrilling or memorable scenes ever filmed, but I'd say that they're paced and performed capably enough to get the job done, while also being stylistically woozy and paranoid in a way that suits both the urgent tone and dazed state of mind.
Aside from a tragic lack of Claude Rains (which is especially inexcusable when you consider that his six minutes of screen time are easily the best ones in the movie), and the fact that the big reveal is exactly what you're expecting it to be, I was mostly along for this tight, tense, and somewhat silly little ride.
Grade: B+
P.S. If you're a fan of Robert Mitchum's sleepy eyes, you really need to see them in action here. They're puffier and droopier than ever.
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