First, I want to settle a disputed questionthe merits and value of Edmond O'Brien (35 yrs. in this role)'s performance; he was a formidable actor. He brings half of DOA's interest.
DOA has several moments of very intense emotion, of undiluted emotion. It is a mystery thriller ,dynamic, suspenseful, sharp, enormously, tremendously enjoyable. It has some features that remind the noir conventionsfirst of all, its fatalist premisethe doom of an innocent man, victim, prey of an occupational hazard; then, the MALTESE traitsthe group of bums that capture Edmond O'Brien. Yet there is much in favor of DOAthe fact that the mystery is not just a pretext for an incursion in the underworld;--the lack of cynicism;--the pure moments of poetry and emotion;--the light, funny comedic notes at the input of Edmond O'Brien's escapade .And there is an undeniable directorial brio and flair, a wonderfully maintained tempo ,a high sense of adventure and suspense. It is a movie you feel the need to share, to recommend to pals. (You might rightly conclude from the above that I refuse considering DOA as a noir, since it is so much more than the standard exponents and lessons of the noirlike DETOUR, etc..DOA has a diversity and a cordial attitude the noir usually do not possess. DOA is not noir, it surpasses the genreit is much more than a noir .) DOA is very inventive, ingenious, and, stylistically, a delight. It is what the kids call a roller-coaster. Visually, DOA is spectacular and aw-someformer director of photography, distinguished collaborator of someone like Dreyer himself, then Hollywoodian cinematographer, Rudolph Maté proves a consummate director with DOA, movie that marked his beginnings as a director .Schooled in Europe, Rudolph Maté appears, if compared with someone like Ulmer or Mann, to be the most skilled and refined. There is, indeed, a manly refinement in the very concept of DOA. You can sense the wide experience and the technical expertise of the director. (During the same period, Mann ,not much younger than Maté, was directing He Walked By Night --there is a difference of scripts and concepts, yeah, but also one of skill and expertise!) Edmond O'Brien was so fine a lead! Handsome and virile, he had nonetheless a quite mean expression (in the way Bogart also had one).He played much finer than many of his more famous and awarded contemporaries. His role here is a marvelous achievement, a creation to be cherished, remarkably competent.
'DOA' is one of the finest, and O'Brien's performance, especially good.
DOA has several moments of very intense emotion, of undiluted emotion. It is a mystery thriller ,dynamic, suspenseful, sharp, enormously, tremendously enjoyable. It has some features that remind the noir conventionsfirst of all, its fatalist premisethe doom of an innocent man, victim, prey of an occupational hazard; then, the MALTESE traitsthe group of bums that capture Edmond O'Brien. Yet there is much in favor of DOAthe fact that the mystery is not just a pretext for an incursion in the underworld;--the lack of cynicism;--the pure moments of poetry and emotion;--the light, funny comedic notes at the input of Edmond O'Brien's escapade .And there is an undeniable directorial brio and flair, a wonderfully maintained tempo ,a high sense of adventure and suspense. It is a movie you feel the need to share, to recommend to pals. (You might rightly conclude from the above that I refuse considering DOA as a noir, since it is so much more than the standard exponents and lessons of the noirlike DETOUR, etc..DOA has a diversity and a cordial attitude the noir usually do not possess. DOA is not noir, it surpasses the genreit is much more than a noir .) DOA is very inventive, ingenious, and, stylistically, a delight. It is what the kids call a roller-coaster. Visually, DOA is spectacular and aw-someformer director of photography, distinguished collaborator of someone like Dreyer himself, then Hollywoodian cinematographer, Rudolph Maté proves a consummate director with DOA, movie that marked his beginnings as a director .Schooled in Europe, Rudolph Maté appears, if compared with someone like Ulmer or Mann, to be the most skilled and refined. There is, indeed, a manly refinement in the very concept of DOA. You can sense the wide experience and the technical expertise of the director. (During the same period, Mann ,not much younger than Maté, was directing He Walked By Night --there is a difference of scripts and concepts, yeah, but also one of skill and expertise!) Edmond O'Brien was so fine a lead! Handsome and virile, he had nonetheless a quite mean expression (in the way Bogart also had one).He played much finer than many of his more famous and awarded contemporaries. His role here is a marvelous achievement, a creation to be cherished, remarkably competent.
'DOA' is one of the finest, and O'Brien's performance, especially good.