Kiss of Death (1947)

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Small-time crook Nick Bianco gets caught in a jewel heist and despite urgings from well-meaning district attorney D'Angelo, refuses to rat on his partners and goes to jail, assured that his wife and children will be taken care of (imdb)

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Directed By: Henry Hathaway

Written By: Ben Hecht, Charles Lederer

Starring: Brian Donlevy, Richard Widmark, Karl Malden, Victor Mature, John Marley, Coleen Gray, Mildred Dunnock, Taylor Holmes, Susan Cabot, Howard Smith, Bernard Sell

Genres: Drama, Crime

Country: USA

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Kiss of Death belongs to 24 collections

1. Film Noir (collaborative: moderated by PeaceAnarchy - 55 stars)

2. They Shoot Pictures 250 Quintessential Noir Films (collaborative: moderated by PeaceAnarchy - 38 stars)

3. Netflix Instant (collaborative: moderated by somnivore - 29 stars)

4. Academy Award - Oscar - ALL Best Picture, Directing, Acting & Screenplay Nominees (collaborative - 22 stars)

5. They Shoot Pictures' Recommended Viewing (collaborative: moderated by Cinephile - 19 stars)

6. Films available in HD (collaborative: moderated by kubricksucks - 13 stars)

7. List: Essential Noirs in The Rough Guide to Film Noir's Canon (collaborative: moderated by KasperL - 10 stars)

8. 1,000 Noir Films: They Shot Dark Pictures, Didn't They? (collaborative: moderated by lisa- - 9 stars)

9. BFI 100 key Noir films (collaborative: moderated by PeaceAnarchy - 8 stars)

10. David Thomson's 1000 Films (collaborative: moderated by MMAlpha - 7 stars)

11. Remade (collaborative: moderated by Ag0stoMesmer - 4 stars)

12. The Films Mentioned In American Grindhouse (2010) (collaborative: moderated by Coheed - 3 stars)

13. List: Noir of the Week (collaborative: moderated by KasperL - 3 stars)

14. Paste Magazine: The 100 Best Film Noirs of All Time (public: TychoCelchuu - 2 stars)

15. Coheed's Celluloid Pit (public: Coheed - 1 star)

16. List: TSPDT's 100 Noir Films (public: KasperL - 1 star)

17. Every Film Nominated For An Oscar (public: cayh - 1 star)

18. FOX Film Noir (collaborative: moderated by iceblox)

19. Cinemateca - Grandes Géneros: Comédia (collaborative: moderated by pmpfe)

20. The Overlook Film Encyclopedia: The Gangster Film (collaborative: moderated by RoyalB)

21. Forrest Watch List (public: ForrestQ)

22. Signal One/Plan B Entertainment Releases (public: kjones77)

23. Movies I watched in 2022 (public: Dunstan-xxx)

24. Movies Mentioned in "The Long Take" (public: TychoCelchuu)

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TCI | Percentile | Date Rated | # Stars (Reviews)

Date	User	Rating
Nov 09, 2022	NathanBates	80 _77th
While it takes its sweet time detailing the evolution of a police informant, the characterizations here (the squealer, the suspect, and the DA) are all very strong. I wonder if Udo would have gotten more screen time if the Hays Code hadn't been in effect. Some very good scenes here (the wheelchair scene is the most memorable), even if the romance part of the story falls a little flat.
Apr 04, 2021	PUNQ	80 _99th
Victor Mature might not have been high on his own acting abilities, but he's selling himself short. To me he looks and reminds of Sylvester Stallone. Technically not an classic style actor, but he's so effective in his roles and a mug that oozes charisma. And that's how it is with Mature in crime stories like this. The tension builds and Mature remains strong even if he know the stool pigeon deal he does with the D.A. is the Kiss of Death (1947). Great suspense movie.
Aug 17, 2020	mrarn	50 _58th
The film moved predictably along till Richard Widmark showed up with his lunatic performance.
Jul 25, 2020	hazelhawks	68 _62nd
The opening and the climax rocked, as did performances by Mature, Widmark, and Gray. The midsection got bogged down a bit and had to force its way to a worthy conclusion. Rarely as stylish as I had hoped. And the voice-over at the end reminded me of True Romance, unfortunately. Pretty good though.
Jan 15, 2020	braddad68	94 _74th
Finally got to this wild film noir. What an iconic performance by Widmark and one of the best Victor Mature roles I've seen.
Apr 17, 2019	Lonewolf2003	75 _60th
Very decent noir with some added realism trough its location shooting and the socioeconomic background leading to its protagonist life-of-crime. Though one could argue the later is only there to make the criminal protagonist acceptable for a Hays code audience.
Aug 10, 2018	hotsake	66 _65th
A well acted and really straight forward film noir. The film moves at a good pace and it kept me engaged but it just felt like it didn't go far enough with any of the themes and scenes that it showed. Richard Widmark was the standout here and he was creepy as hell as man what a laugh.
May 01, 2018	Timon88	75 _74th
Classic, obligatory noir. This is the one with the famous wheelchair sequence, and it doesn't disappoint. Richard Widmark is a peculiar, unsettling, and riveting presence in his first film, and Victor Mature is excellent. Well-written and well-paced, although it lags a tad in, curiously, the last third.
Jun 09, 2015	adamj1982	73 _65th
Essential noir viewing. Not without flaws, but Widmark knocks it out of the park
Mar 12, 2015	TheDiceman	75 _89th
Very good.
Feb 06, 2015	MacSwell	80 _80th
The story is a little thin and drags in the middle, but Hathaway really nails the noir atmosphere here. Mature and Donlevy are good but the film's most memorable for Widmark's brilliant film debut as giggly psychopath Tommy Udo.
Dec 27, 2014	driscarpin	80 _65th
Em honra do centenário de Richard Widmark.
Jun 29, 2014	chadisdanger	83 _74th
Damn good noir. Victor Mature has kind of a bad reputation but I like what I've seen so far and he's great in this, giving Nick Bianco a lot of genuine pathos as he gets more desperate. And holy shit, Richard Widmark is insane and brilliant as the psychopathic goon squaring off against him. Just an all-around rock-solid piece of work.
May 25, 2014	Clark Nova	96 _80th
I want to ride the Widmark express!!! Caution for MATURE audiences only
Nov 13, 2013	fenixdown	70 _36th
Relatively weak except for Richard Widmark's brilliant performance.
Jun 02, 2013	3dRevelation	65 _33rd
I liked the opening to the film, but it just seems to go downhill from there. It never feels really that special. I liked Widmark, but nothing else really stands out.
May 19, 2013	Amadeus	73 _71st
Psycho Killer, qu'est-ce que c'est. fa fa fa fa fa fa fa fa fa far better, run run run run run run run away!
Mar 03, 2013	wetwillies	70 _19th
Pretty good. I love Richard Widmark's performance, he's one of the best noir actors and this film finds him playing a wild villain. I like that the film is about a criminal who acts in the interest of his family, but something often feels missing here and the ending doesn't have as much of a punch as it should.
Feb 26, 2012	Weafdog	40 _57th
Widmark makes this a better-than-average film.
Feb 19, 2012	verbals	65 _10th
Soapy, wishy-washy. That Widmark is bad is a real, big indicator. Plays the Riddler before the tv series. Mature, meh.
Jul 13, 2011	PeaceAnarchy	79 _57th
Very engaging noir, although a little fractured in its pacing. Mature does a good job with a really well written role, but it's Widmark who shines brightest.
May 10, 2011	billkerwin	84 _60th
Chiefly memorable for Widmark's Tommy Udo: the death-mask face, the psycho grin, the deranged laugh. The film itself, unfortunately, isn't nearly deranged enough, and kind of drags, especially toward the end.
Mar 17, 2011	Red_Falcon_	75 _73rd
A well done Noir with a twist.Instead of having a femme-fatale plot it instead focus's on Nick Bianco (played wonderfully by Victor Mature) and his problems.In doing this it makes this film a nice character study.The weakness in this film is Nick's relationship with Nettie (played by Coleen Gray).It felt a little shallow and underdeveloped.
Nov 11, 2010	SlantMag	20 _41st
"A jumbled piece of cinematic crime fiction that's visually elegant but regularly confused about its own point of view." - Nick Schager
Apr 09, 2010	Q31	98 _92nd
I missed the first part of this film and definitely will catch the whole thing next time it's on. Great cinematography, great acting, and a suspenseful script.
Feb 11, 2010	JooJoo	5 _80th
Richard Widmark is extraordinary, not so much the rest.
Jan 30, 2009	Shmendrek	4 _83rd
A flawed, but very enjoyable noir. Dick Widmark as the psychotic Tommy Udo is the high point, without question. The scene in which he pushes the wheelchair-bound "stoolie" down a flight of stairs is damn-near iconic. The opening heist sequence is also notable. Who would have thought that a silent elevator ride could create so much tension? My only complaint is that the second act drags terribly. Still worth seeing for Widmark's insanity. "You squirt!"
Nov 23, 2007	Nathan S	3 _45th
I love the opening heist sequence. It gets the movie off to a really tense start, though it admittedly slows down for a bit after. Competently directed (and with some great chiaroscuro, especially near the end) and expertly acted, I thought it was a good noir.
Mar 13, 2007	kafka1325	68 _78th
Movie which in that tine didn't have weight of censor hade made a great thing to movie history... Also big minus in the movie is act and role woman which is little bit pathetic...
Jan 24, 2007	MartinTeller	81 _69th
One of the purest examples of the noir genre. Desperation, a hero trapped, chiaroscuro lighting, vicious thugs, ominous music, tense situations and bleak cynicism. Victor Mature and Richard Widmark are both excellent here. Although Widmark's repetition of "squirt" does get a little irritating, and this iconic performance hounded him for the next several years, but fortunately he was able to break away from it. Really just a good movie all-around.
Nov 24, 2006	TheDenizen	80 _84th
A tough and tense noir thriller. Widmark is great as the evil goon Tommy Udo.

Average Percentile 63.16% from 237 Ratings