Kiss of Death (1947)

John Chard

9.0

Mar 16, 2020

Hard hitter from Hathaway, Hecht and Lederer. Adapted from a story by Eleazar Lipsky, Kiss Of Death is a tough, even frightening Crime/Noir picture that has a gritty realistic feel. Helped enormously by director Henry Hathaway shooting the whole picture in New York, Kiss Of Death is also notable for being the searing debut of Richard Widmark. With no intention of soft soaping the story, the makers cunningly lure us viewers onto the seamy New York streets. Thus with the New York locations as expertly used as they are by Hathaway, Kiss Of Death attains a documentary style similar to other n…

CinemaSerf

7.0

Dec 7, 2024

This starts off by tugging at the heart-strings a little as we are introduced to "Nick" (Victor Mature). He's an ex-con, trying to go straight with his wife and two children but struggling to make ends meet as Christmas approaches. An opportunity to carry out one last robbery presents itself, but all that does is put him in front of D.A. "D'Angelo" (Brian Donlevy) who offers him a deal if he turns in his cohorts. He's an honourable man so declines and gets sent down, but when he discovers from the paper that his wife has committed suicide, he changes his position and that shift earns him quite…

griggs79

5.0

Mar 28, 2025

_Kiss of Death_ is OK. However, it certainly didn’t wow me. The plot’s solid, and Widmark’s unhinged performance steals the show, but it drags in places and feels a bit stiff overall. Classic noir vibes, but there’s nothing here I hadn’t seen before. It's worth a watch but certainly isn’t essential viewing.