spoiler nicholas ray first film that very much like his 1955 classic rebel without a cause which deal with a troubled youth where in rebel it star james dean and a james stark and be a troubled and misunderstood teenager . in the movie knock on any door the young man nickpretty boy romono and john derek and be a hardened and career criminal . arrest after a cop be shoot and kill outside the 3 . 80 club nick be grab by the police together with a score of other person and charge with the policeman murder . attorney andrew morton and humphrey bogart and who handle only property and probate case go against his law partner wish to take up nick defense pro bono . andrew feel that he owe him at least that since he hold himself responsible for the violent life that nick have choose year earlier . six year ago andrew turn the case of nick dad over to his law partner ed elkins and curt conway . he felt at the time that it be an open and shut case for old man romono be find innocent . elkins however blotch it up and cause the old man to be sentence to a year in prison and die after four month behind bar . with nick suddenly become the family bread winner he drift into a life of crime and work himself up and over those six year and from petty theft to what he now be accuse of and the murder of a law enforcement officer . ahead of it time and even though very date now and knock on any door get into the background of it accuse killer like a scalpel use by a neurosurgeon go into the brain of his patient . the entire movie go from nick trial to his past and through a series of flashback and show how he get to where be be now while on trial for his life . handsome john derek first film and he do the best with the part that he have give a three dimensional and unlike the usual cartoon like and performance of the ruthless criminal nick pretty boy romono who have a heart of gold under all that barb wire that he cover himself up with . humphrey bogart give his usual high quality performance a the lawyer abdrew morton who go out of his way to try to save the abused and troubled young man from a one way trip to the electric chair . very emotional and powerful end sequence where andrew give his closing argument not just about his client nick romono torment and trouble past and a he plead for the jury to spare his life and but also for the future . andrews final summery be in prevent more nick romono from evolve out of the depressed and hopeless crime infest neighborhood that they come from and grow up in .