D.O.A.

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D.O.A.

Released Dec 23, 1949

1h 23m

Crime

Drama

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Popcornmeter

88%

Tomatometer

25 Reviews

75%

Popcornmeter

2,500+ Ratings

Frank Bigelow (Edmond O'Brien) is about to die, and he knows it. The accountant has been poisoned and has only 24 hours before the lethal concoction kills him. Determined to find out who his murderer is, Frank, with the help of his assistant and girlfriend, Paula (Pamela Britton), begins to trace back over his last steps. As he frantically tries to unravel the mystery behind his own impending demise, his sleuthing leads him to a group of crooked businessmen and another murder.

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Variety Staff

Variety

Mate's direction of the first portion of the story lingers too long over it, spreading the expectancy very thin, but when he does launch his suspense-building it comes over with a solid wallop.

Mar 26, 2009

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Nick Schager

Slant Magazine

Rudolph Mat's seminal thriller rapidly decomposes into a campy, confusing bore.

May 1, 2006

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Walter Goodman

New York Times

Incidental pleasures include a bevy of suspiciously beautiful women... the wide lapels and fedoras favored by the heavies, and the ''in'' talk of the period, featuring words like ''hip,'' ''jive'' and ''kicks.''

Mar 25, 2006

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Yasser Medina

Cinefilia

Is an intriguing film noir by Rudolph Maté. Although the plot is familiar to me in its presentation of fraud, passion and murder, it's entertaining enough to keep me hooked. [Full review in Spanish]

Rated: 7/10

Aug 3, 2020

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David Nusair

Reel Film Reviews

...an underwhelming thriller that could and should have fared so much better.

Rated: 2/4

Oct 27, 2015

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Cole Smithey

ColeSmithey.com

[VIDEO ESSAY] A high-concept movie before there was such a thing, "D.O.A." foreshadowed the poisoning of (possibly) Yasser Arafat and (definitely) Alexander Litvinenko - via polonium-210 - by a half-century.

Rated: A-

Apr 27, 2014

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CodyZamboni Z

Movie is fast paced, slightly campy, convoluted, and well performed. Edmund O' Brien justifiably acts like a rude jerk, cause hes got nothing to lose in his pursuit for who poisoned him, Red herrings, twists and turns pile up every 5 minutes as O'Brien travels over half of Calfiornia, confronting and grilling many potential suspects. Kudos to the filmmakers that they don’t paint O' Brien as a saint, He's a jerk from the start, blowing off his naive, but kind girlfriend, so he can cheat on her with San Fran party girls, I also like that a lot of the movie is set outdoors, with nice use of San Fran and LA locations.

Rated 3.5 out of 5 stars

11/23/24

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Deke P

Interesting. & some glookn dames. EDMUND O'BRIEN, for a paunchy guy with not much charisma he sure starred in lots movies. He gets poisoned (POLONIUM? same stuff Putin uses on opponents?) and has a day to solve mystery. & an unrecognizable younger NEVILLE BRAND played Chester. I givin it a 3 1/2 RT stars, 'good'. Never heardo til saw on the tv screen 3.30.23

Rated 3.5 out of 5 stars

03/31/23

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Audience Member

A good premise is hindered by somewhat uneven execution until a solid third act saves the day.

Rated 3 out of 5 stars

01/15/23

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Nadya R

Great film noir! Edmond O'Brian, Luther Adler, Neville Brand are stand-outs! LOVE the overly dramatic theme music, photography, the whole schmaggege!

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

10/11/21

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Audience Member

Contrary to its title, the movie starts with an electric, enlivening conceit only to falter from poor, enervating execution.

Rated 3 out of 5 stars

01/30/23

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Audience Member

There are some cringeworthy moments in this noir. For instance, there's a sequence where the protagonist sees multiple attractive women at a party and we hear the corniest wolf-whistles. In another scene, the acting with Edmund O'Brien and Pamela Britton, when they proclaim their love for one another has to be the worst over-the-top performances ever seen. But, overlook the blemishes. The premise is great and the ending won't cheat you.

Rated 3.5 out of 5 stars

02/13/23

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Rudolph Maté

Director

Edmond O'Brien

Frank Bigelow

Pamela Britton

Paula Gibson

Luther Adler

Majak

Beverly Garland

Miss Foster

Lynn Baggett

Mrs. Philips

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Synopsis

Frank Bigelow (Edmond O'Brien) is about to die, and he knows it. The accountant has been poisoned and has only 24 hours before the lethal concoction kills him. Determined to find out who his murderer is, Frank, with the help of his assistant and girlfriend, Paula (Pamela Britton), begins to trace back over his last steps. As he frantically tries to unravel the mystery behind his own impending demise, his sleuthing leads him to a group of crooked businessmen and another murder.

Director: Rudolph Maté
Producer: Leo C. Popkin
Screenwriter: Russell Rouse, Russell Rouse, Clarence Greene, Clarence Greene
Production Co: Cardinal Pictures, Harry Popkin Productions
Genre: Crime, Drama
Original Language: English
Release Date (Theaters): Dec 23, 1949, Limited
Release Date (Streaming): Jun 17, 2016
Runtime: 1h 23m

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