Kiss of Death

Hard hitter from Hathaway, Hecht and Lederer.

Adapted from a story by Eleazar Lipsky, Kiss Of Death is a tough, even frightening Crime/Noir picture that has a gritty realistic feel. Helped enormously by director Henry Hathaway shooting the whole picture in New York, Kiss Of Death is also notable for being the searing debut of Richard Widmark. With no intention of soft soaping the story, the makers cunningly lure us viewers onto the seamy New York streets. Thus with the New York locations as expertly used as they are by Hathaway, Kiss Of Death attains a documentary style similar to other notable genre pictures like Call Northside 777 (also Hathaway).

Narrating the picture is Nettie (Coleen Gray in her first credited role), the second...

This starts off by tugging at the heart-strings a little as we are introduced to "Nick" (Victor Mature). He's an ex-con, trying to go straight with his wife and two children but struggling to make ends meet as Christmas approaches. An opportunity to carry out one last robbery presents itself, but all that does is put him in front of D.A. "D'Angelo" (Brian Donlevy) who offers him a deal if he turns in his cohorts. He's an honourable man so declines and gets sent down, but when he discovers from the paper that his wife has committed suicide, he changes his position and that shift earns him quite a bit of enmity. He moves, changes his name and meets a new woman hoping his life might finally be settled for the better. Unfortunately for him, one...