You Only Live Once

Understated Lang with a proto-noir flare to it. The hostage negotiation scene is hauntingly beautiful. #YOLO

Excellent early example of the Bonnie and Clyde type movie. Later remade as "They Live By Night."

Had a bad feeling about this as soon as it started with a lame ethnic stereotype. While there are several impressive shots, a lot of the cinematography is flat and lifeless. The timing often feels all wrong and the story is old hat. Lang sets up a series of plot contrivances in order to keep his hero in trouble. It's all just really ham-fisted. Fonda and Sidney make the best of what they've got, though. I'd probably give this a lower score if it wasn't for some occasional nice photography.

Fonda is pretty damn good in this early role.

Every time the story raises the stakes, Lang lavishes us with visuals to match the drama. He's a master of light and shadow, and during another key moment he makes very impressive use of FOG (FOG being one of my favorite things in movies ever, that and IMMOLATIONS, I can't help but use all caps). Not just visually striking, also thematically, as Fonda's character himself is in a mental fog, one in which he misses a crucial chance for salvation

Fonda's great and the first half of the film is very well written, making for some effective commentary on the presumption of innocence. The second half, while still well made, feels somewhat more predictable and forced, making the film lose some luster. On the whole it's good and worthwhile, but doesn't feel special.

# 598

656

#YOLO

87.00

The first twenty minutes here feels like an eternity, not helped by squeaky-clean-looking Fonda playing a hardened criminal. Once the crime happens, the story and intensity increase, and almost pulls its own weight. There are still some lingering problems (notably, the final seconds that spoil the ending) keeping this from being great. It is, though, an interesting look if your life is upside-down and you think, "Don't just sit there, do something!" yet whatever you do makes it worse.

Moronic and contrived actions all around, and a lame predictable code ending of course.

Good fun, sneaky narration.

Wow this movie sucked my ass. The first Fritz Lang movie I've seen which wasn't remarkable. It's just too contrived and uninteresting, really a bad script where you can see everything coming 5 minutes before they show you. Also, pretty boring

Not bad.

The predictable twists in the plot are weaved together with stagy but effective shots that make a modest Lang film. Nothing in it seems decidedly realistic, yet the performances of Fonda and Sidney are as central to the whole as are the devices used by the filmmakers.

Among Lang's Hollywood films, this must be the most odd and expressionistic outings. Fonda sees to be destined to fail as if society is organized with the goal of sending him to the electric chair, and Sidney seems destined to join him due to her intense, uncritical love for him. As the film progresses towards this end, it becomes darker, more foreboding and much less realistic.

747

Was Lang still making movies about Germany when he got to the US? That fog moment at the gates of the prison stretches into some kind of movie-moral eternity.

I liked some of the expressionistic photography--the prison cell and the kidnapping sequence are standout in that regard. Otherwise, however, the film left me colder than it should have, with its heavy determinism. I appreciate the way society's ills are highlighted--not everything can be attributed to the personal--but it felt way more over the top than it needed to be.

This film is not as sharp as most of Fritz Lang's loved films. Takes a while to get going with a very slow start establishing it's lead characters of Henry Fonda, a just released criminal with the help of his lovely girl Sylvia Sidney tries to get back on his feet. Still a Lang movie with plenty of genius elements. Most of all the prison scenes with the tragic twist of faith. Definitely worth your time with solid performances from leads, but it's clear it's a lesser of Fritz Lang's creations.

#777

"Fine world. First, they kill the chicken, Taylor eats the chicken. Then, they kill Taylor." "Tell him they took all the cash. They robbed the cash register too." Nice cinematography, early Bonnie & Clyde plot but that's all because of the Hollywood studio system. Not Lang's fault.