My favorite Edmund O'Brien film. What makes him so enjoyable in this is that you can tell he really enjoys acting; he just puts his heart and soul into every part he ever played; the passion and emotion are always there. He loves his craft. I don't think D.O.A. is film noir, as it seems to be almost a parody of film noir (notice how deliberately hard-boiled all the characters are (well, except loving, loyal, sweet Pamela Britton as his true love, though he doesn't know it yet) and call O'Brien's character always by his last name, Bigelow, even the less than diplomatic doctor who, coming out of his lab to confirm luminous poisoning and holding up the vial, says, "Yeah, you got it, Bigelow". So much for bedside manner. I love Luther Adler here; he really is menacing in that Mad Magazine way; remember, fellow Boomers, when Mad ran that piece about how movie villains are somehow always polite and the hero is always rude and hostile? Well, here Adler does that perfectly; after giving him to "Chester", he intones, "Forgive me". Memorable B-movie in every respect; great location shooting, great use of sound.
