D.O.A is a top noir with a "no way out" motif which provides tremendous impetus for the story of a man in pursuit of his own murderer. The action starts with the man going into a police station to report his own murder. This set up is so bizarre and memorable that any replication of it in another movie would immediately be recognised as a D.O.A homage or rip off.
The man in question is Frank Bigelow (Edmond O'Brien). The police are not surprised by his information and invite him to tell them his story.
Frank runs a small business in the little town of Banning; he'd gone on a short holiday to San Francisco during "Market Week" and got caught up in the partying going on in his hotel. When a group of people went on from the party to "The Fisherman" club, he went with them. At the club, a man at the bar swapped Frank's unattended drink with another one. Frank consumed some of the drink but didn't finish it because it had an unpleasant taste.
Next day, back at the hotel. he felt unwell and went to the Medical Building where one of his tests confirmed the presence of luminous toxin poisoning. He was told that this was fatal, there was no antidote and he had only a very short time to live. He went on to a hospital emergency unit where further tests confirmed the previous diagnosis and he was told that he only had a maximum of a week to live. The doctor deduced that he had been murdered and notified the Homicide Department. Frank panicked and raced out of the building and along a series of streets until he got to "The Fisherman" which was closed. Back at the hotel he found that the people he'd partied with had left. The only possible lead he had to help him find out who had killed him was that a man called Philips had been trying desperately to talk to him. Frank had not responded to his request because he didn't want to interrupt his holiday. A telephone conversation with Paula (his secretary / fiancée) confirmed that Philips had died. Frank then decided to go on to Los Angeles, where Philips' office was located to see if he could find out what he'd wanted to discuss so urgently.
Through his investigations Frank found that Philips had purchased some iridium from a man called George Reynolds and sold it to someone called Majak. The iridium, which was very rare and costly, had been stolen. Philips was on bail and was facing a possible jail sentence unless he could show that his part in the deal was legitimate. He could've cleared himself if he could've produced the bill of sale which had been notarised by Frank. Further investigations revealed that Philips had not committed suicide but was murdered and his murderer had then poisoned Frank to prevent him from producing the document. Frank eventually confronted his killer before getting his revenge.
D.O.A. provided Edmond O'Brien with the role for which he is best remembered and his depiction of Frank's descent into increasingly aggressive, brusque and desperate behaviour as his efforts to find his killer are met with a series of dead ends and complications, is suitably frantic and convincing.
The man in question is Frank Bigelow (Edmond O'Brien). The police are not surprised by his information and invite him to tell them his story.
Frank runs a small business in the little town of Banning; he'd gone on a short holiday to San Francisco during "Market Week" and got caught up in the partying going on in his hotel. When a group of people went on from the party to "The Fisherman" club, he went with them. At the club, a man at the bar swapped Frank's unattended drink with another one. Frank consumed some of the drink but didn't finish it because it had an unpleasant taste.
Next day, back at the hotel. he felt unwell and went to the Medical Building where one of his tests confirmed the presence of luminous toxin poisoning. He was told that this was fatal, there was no antidote and he had only a very short time to live. He went on to a hospital emergency unit where further tests confirmed the previous diagnosis and he was told that he only had a maximum of a week to live. The doctor deduced that he had been murdered and notified the Homicide Department. Frank panicked and raced out of the building and along a series of streets until he got to "The Fisherman" which was closed. Back at the hotel he found that the people he'd partied with had left. The only possible lead he had to help him find out who had killed him was that a man called Philips had been trying desperately to talk to him. Frank had not responded to his request because he didn't want to interrupt his holiday. A telephone conversation with Paula (his secretary / fiancée) confirmed that Philips had died. Frank then decided to go on to Los Angeles, where Philips' office was located to see if he could find out what he'd wanted to discuss so urgently.
Through his investigations Frank found that Philips had purchased some iridium from a man called George Reynolds and sold it to someone called Majak. The iridium, which was very rare and costly, had been stolen. Philips was on bail and was facing a possible jail sentence unless he could show that his part in the deal was legitimate. He could've cleared himself if he could've produced the bill of sale which had been notarised by Frank. Further investigations revealed that Philips had not committed suicide but was murdered and his murderer had then poisoned Frank to prevent him from producing the document. Frank eventually confronted his killer before getting his revenge.
D.O.A. provided Edmond O'Brien with the role for which he is best remembered and his depiction of Frank's descent into increasingly aggressive, brusque and desperate behaviour as his efforts to find his killer are met with a series of dead ends and complications, is suitably frantic and convincing.