On K List of Movie Reviews
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Kiss of Death (1947)
Rate:
5
Viewed:
4/14, 6/16
4/14:
Of Henry Hathaway's films, Kiss of Death is his best.
It's high film noir heaven. The story is taut and well-written because of co-writer Ben Hecht's touch.
Effective is the use of actual locations in many scenes. Even more so is the performances.
I love Victor Mature's acting here as he displays many emotions which are suited to different situational moments. Coleen Gray
is wonderful as Nick Bianco's supporting wife. Now, the true reason why the film is elevated higher for that certain oomph
is Richard Widmark's portrayal of Tommy Udo. It's one of the all-time great villainous performances, making
Kiss of Death a bona fide film noir.
Richard Widmark is chilling and sinister in a maniacal way. It's the way he looks and acts: his pervasive chuckle, toothy grin,
garb including the fedora, wide eyes, and constant usage of the word "squirt." The incredible death scene of the
wheelchair-bound mother who's pushed down the flight of stairs gets Tommy Udo a gold star for brutal villainy. It never
happens in 40's cinema which is shocking enough.
Hence, Richard Widmark's screen debut earned him a well-deserved Oscar nomination. In fact, I'm surprised the
Academy recognized his work. Bravo, Mr. Richard Widmark. By the way, there's a likeness of Tommy Udo through Jack
Nicholson's Joker in Batman, so it must be where his inspiration came from.
All in all, Richard Widmark's Tommy Udo is the real Kiss of Death.
6/16:
Dropping my rating of '10' to '5', I realize now Kiss of Death is a slow movie with an average story.
In fact, there isn't much of a story. Why does the A.D.A. keep giving Nick Bianco all the breaks? What makes him so special? Is
it because he has two little girls? That's weak shit. And why is the girl in love with him? He's a career criminal, for Pete's
sake. What sort of legitimate jobs can Nick get to support his family? Wake me up when she figures it out.
As Tommy Udo, Richard Widmark steals the show. There's no question about it. I think he should've had more screen time.
There's too little of him here. How he got set up through the harebrained scheme to
die is stupid. Give Tommy Udo his own movie as a consolation prize.
All in all, the only reason to see Kiss of Death is Richard Widmark.