D.O.A. (1949)

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…

CinemaSerf

7.0

Jul 9, 2022

"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…