A Picture As Excitingly Different As Its Title!
Frank Bigelow is about to die, and he knows it. The accountant has been poisoned and has only 24 hours before the lethal concoction kills him. Determined to find out who his murderer is, Frank, with the help of his assistant and girlfriend, Paula, begins to trace back over his last steps. As he frantically tries to unravel the mystery behind his own impending demise, his sleuthing leads him to a group of crooked businessmen and another murder.
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Character
Grave, earnest, resolved and plot-driven.
- gravecomic
- earnestironic
- resolvedopen-ended
- character-ledplot-driven
- sparerichly built
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“Is Edmond O'Brien the best thing in D.O.A.?”
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“Does the ending land?”
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“Would D.O.A. hit harder if it came out today rather than in 1949?”
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Reviews on TMDB
Written by TMDB members; each links to the original. Not part of Tastebuds's numbers.
- CinemaSerfon TMDB · Jul 20227/10
"I was to report a murder"... "Whose?"..."Mine!"... Edmond O'Brien is cracking in this dark and atmospherically paced thriller about a man who discovers that he has been deliberately poisoned by luminous toxin and may only have a few hours/days/weeks left to live. He can't understand who would want to do this and sets out to find the culprits. Much of the story is recounted via his "deathbed" explanation to an unbelieving police squad room and it is superbly directed (by Rudolph Maté) with loads of twist and turns in the plot; a tension-building score and more than one potential candidate for villain. Pamela Britton "Paula" is also great as his albatross-like girlfriend who would long since have driven me to bathe in a tub of uranium and the rest of the cast, especially a truly sinister Neville Brand as "Chester" keep us interested right til the death...
Read the whole review on TMDB - talisencrwon TMDB · Aug 20169/10
Edmond O'Brien is one of my favourite actors of the period, and if you need any startling evidence of why, just check out his performance here in Rudolph Mate's heartily original noir-shocker, 'D.O.A.'. Another great reason to check the film out, the Polish-born director, made a smooth transition from being a great cinematographer, and this is probably his most shining triumph helming a picture. If you have ever wondered why 'film noir' has been considered such a consistently rewarding and enthralling body of cinematic work, like the earlier 'Pre-Code' era, check this one out, and others of its ilk. A sheerly delightful film that holds up well today. Though I haven't checked its 80's remake out, I'm not too curious about it, other than the slight curiosity from its notoriety of it being the film in which Dennis Quaid and Meg Ryan met and eventually decided to marry. Other than that, I'm more than content simply watching this.
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Cast
- Edmond O'BrienFrank Bigelow
- Pamela BrittonPaula Gibson
- Luther AdlerMajak
- Beverly GarlandMiss Foster
- Lynn BaggettMrs. Philips
- William ChingHalliday
- Henry HartStanley Philips
- Neville BrandChester
- Laurette LuezMarla Rakubian
- Jess KirkpatrickSam
Crew
- Rudolph MatéDirector
- Russell RouseScreenplay
- Clarence GreeneScreenplay
- Ernest LaszloDirector of Photography
- Dimitri TiomkinOriginal Music Composer
- Arthur H. NadelEditor
- Leo C. PopkinProducer
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Pairings
Companions we picked from the closest works, and how to take them.
Similar in taste
Closest on the same fourteen dimensions, from everything scored on Tastebuds Other media included when they land close.
Killer's Kiss 195584% alikeBoth grave, earnest, plot-driven.
Sorry, Wrong Number 194879% alikeBoth grave, earnest, resolved.
The Set-Up 194977% alikeBoth grave, earnest.
You Only Live Once 193775% alikeBoth grave, earnest.
The Curse of Frankenstein 195774% alikeBoth grave, earnest, resolved.
Kiss Tomorrow Goodbye 195074% alikeBoth grave, earnest.
Ministry of Fear 194472% alikeBoth grave, earnest, plot-driven.
A Woman's Face 194172% alikeBoth grave, earnest.
A Way Out 201871% alikeGame · Both grave, earnest.
Game · Both grave.
Often watched with
Recommendations from TMDB. Opening one adds it to Tastebuds
