D.O.A. (1949)
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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Good concept, poorly executed.
One of the worst ways to make a cult movie is to set out to make a cult movie.
Great example of an old-fashioned, pure-at-heart escapist event movie that doesn't pretend to be anything that it's not and has boat loads of fun being its own ludicrous self.
This is a gorgeous movie made by a gorgeous spirit.
DOA is an unendearing film-noir that is uneventful and contains countless drivel. The reason for the murder is pretty irrelevant. But apart from that I don't even see why I'm suppose to care about what happens to our main character Frank. He is as sleazy as can be and what's with the whistling siren noise? Then at the end you've got Frank talking with Paula, talking about how much they love each other, such a load of drivel. Everything after Frank is poisoned is a complete mess. No character was likable or stood out, not even Paula for wanting this sleazebag. Oh and Chester was so painfully awful, possibly the worst character of all time.
I've seen most Film-oiNoirs but when I stumbled across D.O.A. I wasn't expecting much since I'd never heard of it. Well 15 min in I was hooked. The concept of the story nont only drags you in like a true who done it story but it makes you think "what would you do?" "How would you act?" It's crazy to think of. Anyway I highly recommend this film .. It's fast paced and keeps your attention if you're not a film noir fan.j
Interesting idea and should have been done better. Poorly written. Pacing very inconsistent throughout. Sequences go on and on, for no good reason, but tighter cutting would have made an already short film even shorter. Often sequences, such as the night-club near the beginning, go on and on and become boring. Likewise the hotel convention goer business is too long and repetitive. The wolf whistle business jerked the viewer out of the film and was a reminder of slip-whistles in Laurel and Hardy films. The Neville Brand (usually a reasonably solid character player) psychotic character is so overdone, as to be laughable. The whole thing gives the impression of being hastily and drastically cut. This is not one of Edmund Obrien's better films. In my opinion, not even close to Siodmaks' "The Killers". Big disappointment. I kept watching thinking it would improve but it never did. An interesting plot idea which should have made a much better film.
A man (beautifully played by Edmond O'Brien) finds out he's been given a slow acting poison and has only a few days to live. He has to find out who did it...and why.VERY quick (83 minutes) but great noir thriller. It's beautifully directed (nice use of outdoor locations) and has many twists and turns. O'Brien was a great character actor and he's given a rare lead role here. He's just great as a man who knows he's dying but doesn't know why. The rest of the acting is all pretty good. It's not a perfect movie. There's some terrible love scenes between him and his girlfriend and it gets TOO complicated. There are so many characters and incidents going at such a quick pace it sometimes gets confusing. I don't think the ultimate resolution makes much sense either. Still I loved it while watching it and I recommend it.