Even a cursory perusal of box office successes will demonstrate that movie audiences have an enduring love affair with crime thrillers. The good, law abiding citizens have always enjoyed a vicarious walk on the wild side to catch a glimpse of how those denizens of the seedy under world of society live. This observation holds true in every possible form of entertainment from film to literature and there is no evidence of that changing any time soon. Like most popular and profitable genres the most noteworthy tend to attract imitation. One of the best sub genres for crime thrillers is the film noir. These dark films typically are devoid of happy endings and present morally ambiguous protagonists frequently offset by a femme fatale. This type of movie is still around and has been adapted to suite more modern sensibilities but there is nothing quite like an original, old school noir classic to generate a really great movie night. One of my favorites hails from the golden age of the format, 1947, ‘Kiss of Death’. There was a remake of the same name attempt in 1995 that ironically almost applied the title to the career of its star, David Caruso after he left a TV variation of the genre, ‘NYPD Blue’. My friends no better than to speak of this abomination in my presence; I do not consider it a worthy follow to a personal favorite. I first saw this film in a film noir retrospective in a theater I frequented regularly as a teen. It became a shared favorite with my late wife on cable and eventually I added it to my DVD collection and urge other fans of the genre to follow suit. This film is a textbook representation of film noir. While not as perfectly formed as the high water marks such as ‘Double Indemnity’ of ‘Maltese Falcon’s real case can be offered that few film noir examples can even approach them. ‘Kiss Of Death’ is a satisfying crime flick in the old fashion enjoyable movie that sets out to entertain the audience and handily succeeds if that goal. Each requirement of the genre is well presented here and as the intervening sixty plus years has proven has achieved the hallmark of endurance.

In classic film noir fashion the film is bookended with a voice over narration. This traditional device is one of the defining characteristics of film noir and generally brings the audience into an intimate state of the story. Nettie Cavallo (Coleen Gray) is a young woman who knows the lead character Nick Bianco (Victor Mature) outside the context of his wayward life of crime; she was the babysitter for his young children. This sets up the next noir requirement, moral ambiguity. Bianco is a career criminal but also a father who loves his wife and two young daughters. This is reinforced exceptionally on point as the story gets rolling. After Nick is apprehended in a failed robbery at a bust downtown department store he is approached by Assistant District Attorney Louis D'Angelo (Brian Donlevy). The ADA offers Bianco a lighter sentence in exchange for his accomplices but Nick declines certain that his partners in the crime and defense lawyer Earl Howser (Taylor Holmes) will look after his family Bianco takes the full bid, twenty five to life. While in prison Nick receives some terrible news during a visit from Nettie. It turns out his accomplices went overboard taking care of his family. One of them, Pete Rizzo, had an affair with his wife. Outraged, he contacts D'Angelo but it is much too late. The ADA offers him another deal, parole in exchange for help in another cases involving Rizzo. As it turns our Rizzo was the one that dropped the dime on Bianco in order to cozy up to his wife. The sentence is reduced on the contingency of continued assistance to D'Angelo. Nick develops feelings for Nettie giving him a reason to stay on the straight and narrow. One of the other criminals depicted in the film is one of the most infamous in cinematic history, Tommy Udo (Richard Widmark). Udo is a psychopathic killer that breaks into the humble apartment of Rizzo’s elderly, wheelchair bound mother (Mildred Dunnock) and in a brutal scene that shocked audiences of the time, rips out a table lamp cord, ties her in the wheel chair and pushes her down a flight of stairs gleefully laughing as he performs this heinous act. Even in current times with our perchance for extremes this scene is one that will remain etched in your memory. This was the very beginning of a long and illustrious career for Widmark, a true Hollywood legend. It set the stage for a string of villainous roles that he would eventually overcome and move on to an incredibly versatile career.

It is possible to make a film noir movie in color but I do have a soft spot for the traditional black and white. In this movie the director Henry Hathaway, was exceptionally well versed in its use. He had dozens of flicks prior to this one most in black and white but demonstrated is adaptability in color mostly in the venue of westerns. This stage of his career included the definitive modern western the 1969 original ‘True Grit’, just one of many of his films starring the iconic John Wayne. Te man was a perfectionist with precise attention to details. This film is a perfect example of how a crime thriller should unfold. Hathaway master the difficult nuances of the film noir form aptly blending the raw, gritty demands of the type of movie with the masterful story telling. Hathaway builds sympathy for Nick despite his checked past. Even as a thief he retains a strong sense of a personal code of conduct that dictates his actions. This makes it possible to sell the audience on Nettie falling in love with him. It also introduces a perennially powerful theme of redemption into the mix. To offset the dark themes integral to the movie with a much appreciated glimmer of hope.