D.O.A. (1949) is a noir thriller with such an interesting premise - a poisoned man tries to solve his own murder before he dies - that it's been remade (1988's version with Dennis Quaid and Meg Ryan, for example) or completely reimagined (one might mention Crank here) several times since. But the premise is certainly better than the execution. Despite a great opener, D.O.A. had trouble grabbing me because of its early "she's gorgeous" whistle sound effect every time we see a beautiful woman, then keeping me with its complicated plot and uneven melodramatic acting. One saving grace is Neville Brand's thug, obsessed with shooting someone in the gut... Creepy AF and nightmarishly shot. Unfortunately, it comes a bit too late, and I might have given up on the film after the third scene in a row when the hero (Edmond O'Brien) barged into a woman's room to question her abusively. The repetition is clunky at best, silly at worst. I can see why D.O.A. is remembered today, but not necessarily why it should be WELL remembered.
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https://youtu.be/oMr6xUZnvXochunkylefunga
Not really worth watching.Siskoid
D.O.A. (1949) is a noir thriller with such an interesting premise - a poisoned man tries to solve his own murder before he dies - that it's been remade (1988's version with Dennis Quaid and Meg Ryan, for example) or completely reimagined (one might mention Crank here) several times since. But the premise is certainly better than the execution. Despite a great opener, D.O.A. had trouble grabbing me because of its early "she's gorgeous" whistle sound effect every time we see a beautiful woman, then keeping me with its complicated plot and uneven melodramatic acting. One saving grace is Neville Brand's thug, obsessed with shooting someone in the gut... Creepy AF and nightmarishly shot. Unfortunately, it comes a bit too late, and I might have given up on the film after the third scene in a row when the hero (Edmond O'Brien) barged into a woman's room to question her abusively. The repetition is clunky at best, silly at worst. I can see why D.O.A. is remembered today, but not necessarily why it should be WELL remembered.