Synopsis for
Dead Reckoning (1947) More at IMDbPro »

Dead Reckoning begins with a bruised Rip Murdock (Humphrey Bogart) running in and out of shadowy doorways finally ducking into a church where he manages to tell a priest about the deep trouble he has gotten into just trying to track down his friend. As we flash back we see Captain Murdock bringing his Army pal Johnny Drake (William Prince) to Washington. On the train Johnny drops a gold pin that Murdock picks up. Murdock notices the pin from Yale University has another man's name on it. Murdock tells Johnny he will receive the Congressional Medal of Honor. Johnny is not happy with the news and asks questions about the publicity. On a brief stop in Philadelphia, photographers request Murdock to bring the hero to them. Murdock discovers Johnny has hopped off the train. The commanding officers order Murdock to bring Johnny back. Murdock appears to be at a dead end until he remembers the pin. Murdock calls the Yale alumni office and gets the last known address for the name on the pin. The address is in Gulf City, USA (apparently on the Gulf of Mexico). Murdock goes to the (only?) hotel in Gulf City where to his surprize he is expected. Not only has Johnny made him a reservation, Johnny left a note at the front desk for Murdock to wait in his room for him. After two days, Murdock hasn't heard from Johnny and by chane hears a police radio report of a man found burned beyond recognition in a car wreck. Fearing the worse, Murdock goes to the morgue where he meets an inquisitive and wily local detective Lieutenant Kincaid (Charles Cane) who suspects anyone on general principles. Murdock makes up a story about filing a Missing persons report. Kincaid shows him the John Does. The last body is from the car wreck. The body is unrecognizable but a bolb of gold was found with it. Murdock reckons that the blob is Johnny's pin. Murdock tells Kincaid nothing. Murdock goes from the morgue to the newspaper morgue and starts reading back from the day Johnny enlisted. Murdock quickly finds Johnny's photograph. The caption gives the same name as was on the Yale pin and identifies Johnny as being accused of murdering the older husband of the pretty Coral Chandler. The accused had disappeared and was the subject of a manhunt. Murdock is sure Johnny would never commit murder and recalls Johnny hadn't womanized in Europe because of a woman back home. Knowing getting involved with an unsolved murder could be dangerous, Murdock goes looking for Coral Chandler (Lizabeth Scott). He finds her in a club and casino operated by a mobster named Martinelli (Morris Carnovsky). Is she more than a former singer at that club? When Martinelli drugs Murdock and attempts to frame him for murder, Murdock teams up with Coral to gather more information to uncover not only who is responsible for the recent killings but also the fate of his friend Johnny and the killer of Coral's husband. As Detective Kincaid gets closer to discovering the body that has been planted to implicate Murdock, Coral becomes more intimate, and some tough decisions are made to reveal the truth.