Kiss of Death (1947) User Reviews (105)

A Shocking Screen Debut

[bkoganbing · 8/10 · 26 December 2005]

Richard Widmark belongs to a select few players who from their screen debut became instant stars. No bit parts, no walk-ons, Widmark's first feature role netted him an Academy Award nomination for Best Supporting Actor and stardom.

Widmark's portrayal of Tommy Udo in Kiss of Death shocked audiences nationwide. When Widmark tied up Mildred Dunnock and threw her down a flight of stairs, gasps aplenty came from audiences. That maniacal giggle became his trademark and fodder for impressionists from then on in. Widmark in fact had to really convince his bosses at 20th Century Fox that he was capable of more than being a psychopathic killer.

Widmark was fourth billed in this film and so dominates it that it's forgotten that Victor Mature is the lead and contributes a good performance in his own right. Mature is a career criminal who was left holding the bag for his associates during a jewel heist. He refuses to rat them out and gets a stretch in prison for it. By his refusal to be a stoolie, Mature gains the friendship of Widmark who has a special hatred for the breed.

Things then go bad for Mature when his wife commits suicide and his two little daughters wind up in an orphanage. At that point he rethinks becoming a stoolie for District Attorney Brian Donlevy and the main action of the film begins.

Mature gives a very good performance of a man running out of options. He's caught between concern for his family and living up to the honor system that criminals have among themselves. Brian Donlevy, usually a villain, does a good job as the District Attorney.

One other performance is worthy of note. Though he only has a few scenes, criminal defense attorney Taylor Holmes is also a real stand out. His Earle Houser is definitely one of the sleaziest lawyers ever portrayed on the screen.

For all the many good performances Richard Widmark has given in his 91 years, his debut film turned out to be the only time he was ever nominated for an Oscar. That's a shame because I could think of a couple of other films like Night and the City, Pickup on South Street and Panic in the Streets that would have been worthy of consideration.

Hopefully the American Film Institute will give Widmark a Lifetime Achievement Award and soon.

two words: Tommy Udo!

[blanche-2 · 7/10 · 6 December 2011]

Victor Mature had no illusions about his acting; when he was rejected for membership to a golf club because he was an actor, he said, "I'm no actor, and I've got 65 movies to prove it." However unpretentious he was, when he was cast in the right role, he came off well, as he does here in the noir "Kiss of Death." Mature plays Nick Bianco, a con who becomes a stool pigeon for the D.A. (Brian Donlevy) so that he can get a parole and retrieve his kids from an orphanage. He marries a friend of his late wife's (Coleen Gray) and uses another name so that his kids won't be tainted by his old criminal life. It all goes well until he has to testify in court against Tommy Udo. Then his life and that of his family are in grave danger.

"Kiss of Death" is notable for being the auspicious debut of Richard Widmark, and few actors have had such a powerful introduction to an audience. As the sadistic Tommy Udo, Widmark's raw laugh and smirk are chill-inducing. His famous scene - maybe the most famous scene of his career, as well as being a famous scene, period - occurs when he throws an old woman in her wheelchair down a flight of stairs. And laughs. A fantastic performance.

The beautiful Coleen Gray plays Nettie, Nick's wife. Despite her looks and good acting, Gray never achieved big stardom, though she had some excellent roles. I wonder if she just wouldn't play ball with Zanuck. Now 89, she is an attractive woman who continues to make public appearances, usually at screenings of the film "Nightmare Alley." Here she's perfect as a loving, worried woman. She also narrates.

Mature gives a solid performance as Nick -- he was really in his métier here and in films like "I Wake Up Screaming," though he graduated (or was demoted) to beefcake roles in period pictures later on. He had the physique but he wasn't a great actor and somehow, it was more apparent in those movies.

I feel very privileged to have met and spoken with Coleen Gray and to have heard the remarkable Richard Widmark speak in person, so I have an affection for this film. Even if I didn't, it's still good and well worth seeing.

Powerful Film-Noir

[claudio_carvalho · 8/10 · 30 December 2007]

In the New York Christmas, the family man Nick Bianco (Victor Mature) has bad luck and criminal record, and can not find a honest job. He is caught in a jewelry heist, but he does not accept the proposal of the Assistant District Attorney Louis D'Angelo (Brian Donlevy) to be a squealer and denounce his accomplices and he goes to prison. Three years later, his depressed woman commits suicide and his two daughters are sent to an orphanage. Nick makes a deal with Mr. D'Ángelo and rats his former partners; then he marries Nettie (Collen Gray), moves to another to town with a new identity, where he finds a honest job. However, when the psychopathic killer Tommy Udo (Richard Widmark) is sentenced not-guilty in a trial where Nick was forced to testimony against the criminal, the desperate Nick uses one last attempt to save his family from the psychotic killer.

"Kiss of Death" is a powerful film-noir, with an engaging and credible plot, fantastic direction of Henry Hathaway and great performances of Victor Mature and Richard Widmark. Among the movies that I have watched of the great actor Richard Widmark, this is his best performance and he really deserved his nomination to the Oscar. His sadistic character is really a scary cold-blood killer. The black and white cinematography is amazing, with great use of shadows valorized by the image of the DVD. Karl Malden in the beginning of his successful career has a minor participation. My vote is eight.

Title (Brazil): "Beijo da Morte" ("Kiss of the Death")

Intense Noir Thriller

[Bucs1960 · 20 December 2001]

Henry Hathaway does a bang-up job directing this taut, realistic gangster noir. With the exception of a couple of domestic scenes with Mature and his family, this film never lets up. In one of the most unique film debuts, Richard Widmark steals the show with his portrayal of the giggling, psychopathic killer Tommy Udo. There is no doubt about who is the star of this movie. Victor Mature gives a fine performance as the basically decent guy who turns "stoolie" and for whom you have sympathy and the rest of the cast is strong in support.....but it is Widmark who mesmerizes you with his performance. The oft cited senseless violence of the "wheelchair pushed down the stair" scene is still one that makes you turn away. The real life New York City setting adds more realism and the black and white cinematography is excellent, capturing shadows which foretell the violence that is coming. Look for Karl Malden in a small part, early in his career. This is a classic of the noir genre and should be added to your film library.

Three Reasons for Greatness: Plot, Polish, and Victor Mature

[secondtake · 9/10 · 30 May 2009]

Kiss of Death (1947)

Three Reasons for Greatness: Plot, Polish, and Victor Mature

1) Victor Mature gives a impassioned, inward-looking performance to die for. 2) The story is gripping, and reasonable, and pits the lone man trying to go right against all the forces that all of us face: the system, the bad guys, and our own mistakes. 3) The studio system is at its technical best and supports the story with polished, professional acting, camera-work, direction, and sound.

In the general sense, these are actually pretty basic things that every movie might have: a lead we can identify with, a great story, and well made. Kiss of Death lacks only those rare qualities of originality in some other noir films, like we see in Sunset Boulevard or Detour, to keep it from the stratosphere. But it's better than most by far.

Mature, throughout, is not portrayed as a criminal type, "One of those mugs that don't belong to human society," as Donlevy says as Assistant D.A. Bianco has good handwriting, he has composure, he loves his kids. And a great small reinforcement happens when he goes to the orphanage to see them and the nun looks at him and his two cop guards and asks, "Which one of you gentlemen is Mr. Bianco." The camera lets us pan over them and we see them as the same.

And he mildly says, "That's me." Mature is really amazing in a role that could have been hammed up or stiffened up. His large, meaty presence is presented with a kind of innocence, as if he is the victim in this life process going on all around him that he has no control over. The movie asserts the truth in this at the start--he has tried to get work for a year as an ex- con, and social stigma stands in his way, leading to the jewel heist as an act of desperation. Furthermore, Mature is more principled than anyone ought to be, refusing to rat until he's been lied to by those he was protecting with silence. In a way, he gradually rises to a kind of folk hero status, in this very private, limited way, affecting only a handful of people, but doing so flawlessly.

Of course, it's Richard Widmark (in his very first film) who makes Mature practically a saint by being an unrepenting psychopath. The ten seconds it takes him to grab an old woman in a wheelchair, tie her up with an electric cord, and roll her screaming down the stairs is justifiably famous. Even though you know it's coming, it's about as heartless as anything in the movies, and played with economy, not dwelling on it, just punching you in the stomach. And watch him contort and fall in the last scene where he's shot in the street. This is the kind of thing the French auteur directors drooled over.

The photography is interesting for being ultimately conservative and superb at the same time. The camera is almost always level, framed with geometric precision, using light to create depth and complexity, sometimes shooting through windows or screens to add to the visual complexity, but rarely or never using strong angles off of vertical, or zeroing in on a face or hand so closely it fills the screen. These are all carefully executed shots, and scenes, and it is editing with equal precision. In all, the movie is a model not of daring and pizazz, but of adhering to the rules so perceptively, it sparkles. It's possible this was partly done to heighten its documentary realism, but Norbert Brodine is a conservative shooter at heart, so between him and Hathaway's workingman's approach, we would expect what we see here.

The movie is not a great social commentary despite the suggestion at the beginning that it might explore the causes of crime, and despite its use of actual New York State locations for all the shooting. But it doesn't want to be. It leverages well worn clichés because that's the quickest way to get us to relate to the man trying to get his life straight. That's all its about, really. Even in the voice-over by his eventual new wife, heard at the beginning and end, we hear a tale about one man only.

Hard hitter from Hathaway, Hecht and Lederer.

[hitchcockthelegend · 9/10 · 25 September 2009]

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 wife of Nick Bianco (Victor Mature). Telling of his rough and troubled life, we learn that Bianco was part of a gang who was caught during a jewelry robbery over the Christmas holiday. Lied to by his lawyer, Bianco learns during his prison term that his first wife has killed herself and that his darling two girls have been packed off to an orphanage. Fretting and desperate to see his girls, Bianco makes a deal with Assistant District Attorney Louis D'Angelo (Brian Donlevy), where in exchange for is parole, he will rat out his old gang buddies. D'Angelo is mostly concerned with one man tho, sadistic murderer and boss, Tommy Udo (Widmark). Bianco must pal up to Udo and hope that he doesn't get found out, for if he does, Udo is sure to enact psychotic retribution on Nick and all those close to him.

Mature gives one of his finest shows as the pained Bianco forced to squeal, Gray as his second wife is sedate and effective and Donlevy as the crusading Assistant D.A. with a heart is as reliable as he always is. But all are playing second fiddle to Widmark, ferocious stare, dirty laugh and an unnerving falsetto voice, it announced Widmark to the cinematic world, garnered him a contract with Twentieth Century Fox and he never looked back afterwards. Some of his scenes are just mesmerising, including one that is as shocking as it is a lesson in villainy. Taut and tight scripting from the Hecht/Lederer partnership, with rounded characters and a sensible plot, Kiss Of Death is not to be missed by the Crime/Noir genre/style fan. 8.5/10

Another strong Mature (Victor that is) film...

[tony-camel · 7/10 · 5 March 2007]

The bulk of Kiss of Death is a modest, based-on-a-true-story tale of crime and woe. There's nothing spectacular about Nick or his circumstances, and nothing particularly compelling about his turn as a stool pigeon. Kiss of Death is almost romantic-comedy-like in its execution: Man meets crime, man leaves crime, man hooks up with crime again. Crisis, resolution. Yet out of the nondescript foundation emerge a few noteworthy aspects.

The first and most noticeable is the realistic look of the film. Director Henry Hathaway goes straight to the source, shooting scenes on their actual locations. This is noticeable because the opening credits tell you so; how quaint to throw a little self-promotion right there in the intro! Fortunately, this hokiness doesn't detract from some truly beautiful camera-work achieved by cinematographer Norbert Brodine. New York has a distinct look, and Brodine makes the most of it. Establishing shots of lights and skyscrapers in silhouette lead into a New York in full seasonal glory, with Christmas shoppers amok in the streets. From posh nightclubs to gritty prisons, Hathaway and Brodine milk as much texture from the locations as possible.

The self-promotional focus on cinematography quietly gives way to Victor Mature's personable portrayal of Nick. Though he worked through six decades, Mature was never a big name or recognized star. Indeed, his relative lack of star quality allows him to succeed in this modest, intimate tale culled from the real life of a small time hood. Mature doesn't steal the show by any means, but he capably anchors it and gives Nick some plausibility and a sympathetic quality. When Coleen Gray arrives on the scene as Nick's former nanny, we can somehow buy their slapdash romantic entanglement. Gray is also capable in her role, sweet but not saccharine, petite but with a hint of spark. Her perkiness doesn't grate, and there seems to be more to her than just a pretty face and her status as Nick's love interest. She has the intriguing "I want to know more about this woman" vibe that characterized Judy Garland's stardom, though Gray would never reach those levels of fame.

Mature may not steal the show, but Richard Widmark does. Like Coleen Gray, Widmark made his debut in Kiss of Death. Unlike Gray's, his performance left an indelible mark on cinema and made Widmark a household name overnight. Tommy Udo is such a ruthless, depraved character, and his manner crawls under your skin so thoroughly, that Widmark is impossible to ignore. His characterization could so easily have spasmed across the line into caricature, or become smarmy or irritating. But Udo's manic, staccato laugh just skirts that edge, and his bitterly cold eyes and palpable menace invigorate later scenes. The unnecessary murder he commits on screen is shocking; it isn't hard to see why Joe Pesci would evoke shades of Tommy Udo in Goodfellas. In fact, Widmark's Oscar-nominated turn as Udo would inspire countless nods from subsequent maniacal mobsters.

These characters spice up an otherwise small, vague tale. Kiss of Death morphs though a series of focus shifts. It seems like a hardboiled crime saga at times, a political game at others, even a tale of family values and romance. It ends up in a dramatic knot of danger and redemption. Its inability to stick with one theme gives Kiss of Death a wishy-washy, gutless quality. But touches of depth, particularly the way Eleazar Lipsky's script makes the end of the film tense and involving instead of anticlimactic, keep the otherwise straightforward story fresh.

The tale is also enhanced by a couple of pure noir moments. The most obvious is Nick's nervous vigil when he knows Udo is coming for him. A car's headlights slice through the dark house and set off a game of hide-and-seek in the shadows. The pressure mounts, and you just know that someone is bound to die. I don't know how film noir can support such ludicrous amounts of shadow, but it does so to powerful effect. Noir jumps back onto the front burner when Nick takes matters into his own hands at the end of the film. A showdown with Udo over a restaurant table is fraught with peril and tension; mostly because of Widmark's scintillating menace, but partially because of the composition and the score.

A superb commentary by James Ursini and Alain Silver walks us through the nuances of the film without much pause or filler. The pair has an impressive understanding of film noir, and they're able to parlay that knowledge into an engaging commentary. Though I don't fault most of their specific points, Ursini and Alain Silver hold the film in higher esteem than I do. This is good for noir fans because the commentators highlight the positives in each shot, performance, and theme.

Great noir

[perfectbond · 8/10 · 23 August 2004]

Kiss of Death was an engaging and suspenseful film noir thriller. Standout performances were delivered from Victor Mature and Richard Widmark among others. Widmark as the sadistic Udo had a particularly memorable turn. This film actually reminded me quite a bit of the Humphrey Bogart film, The Enforcer, at least the first twenty minutes of that equally good crime drama. In both movies, the turning of evidence by witnesses for the state and their protection figure prominently. Unfortunately, the witness in The Enforcer isn't as lucky as Nick Bianco. One other note: the great Karl Malden has a small role in this film as a junior detective. Both Kiss of Death and The Enforcer get a solid 8/10.

Pretty good, Widmark's debut role the keeper here.

[gazzo-2 · 7/10 · 27 June 2008]

I always enjoy watching things like this for the first time. Always wondered just What was the big deal w/ Widmark and the infamous wheel-chair scene? Now I know. It's pretty effective and sure, there wasn't anything else like it on film in '47, no sir.

What about the rest of this? Well--others have pointed out-the romance happens rather suddenly, I thought Widmark played a little too much by the rules towards the end-why didn't one of his goons just off him in the restaurant-?? and sure, they tacked on the wife's suicide rather conveniently-but, for the most part, this does work.

Look for Karl Malden in a smallish early role. I also enjoy watching Brian Donlevy, he usually played sgt majors and the like, here you can see why. Kudos to Victor Mature too-nothing great, but a solid role for him, too.

*** outta ****, worth watching.

Kiss of Death Makes You Wonder ***

[edwagreen · 8/10 · 31 October 2008]

Even though he saw his gangster father cut down by police bullets, you have to wonder how a kind hearted, sympathetic character as Nick Bianco, well played by Victor Mature, settled down to a life of crime.

In addition, was there anything going on with Nick and the babysitter while Nick's wife was living? They sure teamed up quickly and Nick remarried very fast after his wife's suicide.

Despite these possible flaws, we have an engrossing film dealing with a gangster must face when he starts squealing on fellow mob members.

Of course, Richard Widmark steals the movie with his performance of the insane hooligan with that memorable laugh, eerie smile and depraved indifference to human life. Throwing a wheel-chair bound Mildred Dunnock down the stairs was most shocking. It would take a performance such as the one given by Edmund Gwenn in the family tradition film, "Miracle on 34th St." to defeat Widmark. Ironically, Widmark was never Oscar nominated again.

The Informer

[sol- · 7/10 · 2 December 2017]

When his wife commits suicide and his children are placed in foster care, an imprisoned robber turns informer in exchange for early parole; things turn sour though when a man he squealed on is acquitted and comes after him. As one might expect from such a plot summary, this noir entry deals well with the dilemma faced by a criminal torn between his personal ethics (not ratting on his partners) and his desire for the best for his kids -- and with two lovely young actresses playing his doting daughters, it is a heartfelt dilemma, all the more potent since he only turned to crime in desperation, unable to find an honest job to support his family. Victor Mature does not, however, make for all that interesting a protagonist. He always seems a little too warm and gentle for hardened criminal and a romance with his children's babysitter blossoms so quickly after his wife's death that it never feels right. The standout feature of the film though is Richard Widmark as the taunting, constantly laughing acquitted criminal who comes after Mature. There is an excellent shot in which his face is only barely visible in the sliver of a curtain gap and yet his menacing nature still resonates. The film has a powerful ending too.

"You know what I do to squealers?"

[bensonmum2 · 8/10 · 4 March 2006]

Small-time hood Nick Bianco (Victor Mature) is sent up the river for a jewel heist. He refuses to cooperate with the D.A. and will not turn stool-pigeon on his pals. But after he learns of his wife's suicide, he changes his tune. He's got to get out of jail to take care of his two little girls. The D.A. agrees to help Bianco if, in return, Bianco will help the D.A. Bianco fingers Tommy Udo (Richard Widmark) for a murder and even agrees to testify at the trial. But, when Udo is acquitted, Bianco knows he's a marked man – as are his new wife and his young daughters.

Kiss of Death is a solid entry in the crime/noir cycle of the 40s. The movie looks good, has some great acting, an intelligent plot, characters you can care about, and enough twists to make it all very interesting. But instead of writing at length about the acting or technical aspects of the film or plot twists or anything else, I'll limit this to a few comments on Richard Widmark. If you look over Widmark's filmography, you'll notice that Kiss of Death was his very first film. Now I haven't seen everything Widmark made, but based on what I have seen, his portrayal of Tommy Udo has to be the performance of a career. He's brilliant as Udo. You can see the evil in his eyes. He's the kind of guy who would just as soon put a bullet in you as look at you. And that maniacal laugh – it's nothing short of chilling. This is not meant to be hyperbole when I say that he's the quintessential 40s hood played to perfection. I've seen a lot of noirs in recent weeks and I don't think I've seen a performance or character that I've enjoyed more than Widmark's Tommy Udo.

Tommy Udo

[AaronCapenBanner · 6/10 · 14 November 2013]

Henry Hathaway directed this revenge story that stars Victor Mature as Nick Bianco, a small-time crook sent to prison after a jewel heist who refuses to inform on his gang, because of his wife. After learning his wife committed suicide, and knowing he was double-crossed, Nick does cooperate with the D.A.(played by Brian Donlevy) and gets paroled. He then remarries, to a woman named Nettie(played by Coleen Gray) and gets a job. Things are fine, until one of the old gang he informed on named Tommy Udo(played by Richard Widmark in his film debut) comes calling, hell-bent on revenge... Unremarkable story on the whole, except for one thing: Widmark's unforgettable performance as ruthless and giggling killer Tommy Udo, one of cinema's most memorable villains, with that iconic scene of his pushing the poor wheelchair-bound woman down the stairs while he laughs maniacally being most memorable. He steals the film, and his performance was Oscar-worthy.

Average noir elevated to classic status by R.Widmark

[sandas1002 · 5/10 · 12 December 2005]

**Spoilers** The person who compared his role to Joe Pesci in Goodfellas makes a good comparison. They create mean psychos we love to watch on the screen and of course would never want to run into in real life. His characters little speech about squealers, his laugh and helping the handicapped down the stairs is what most people will best remember from this film.

Subtract Richard Widmarks work here and you are left with what is a dull and routine film to sit through.

Many classic noirs have dated elements of their time but there is enough there to make up for it - great dialogue, memorable leading ladies like Rita Hayworth. Here the woman is dull and one-note; Nick Biancos kids make your teeth clench and make you wish Tommy Udo would actually get to have some "fun" with them like he so kindly offers his pal.

Victure Mature looks much older than 29 (the age mentioned for his character) but the main problem is he never seems menacing or acts much like a crook (somebody like Sterling Hayden or Richard Conte would have been better). He is far better as a copper like in 'Cry of the City'.

Overall though it's better than the 1995 remake where beefed-up Nicholas Cage like Widmark gets to steal the show.

A Tale Of Two Crooks - One With A Heart, One Without One

[ccthemovieman-1 · 13 May 2006]

This was a 1940s film noir with a little bit different slant: the main character "Nick Bianco" (Victor Mature) being a caring father. Here's a guy torn between being a crook most of his life and the damage it did to him mentally, but at heart a real softie who is desperate to go straight and just be a regular family guy with everyone leaving him alone. In the story, he turns "stoolie" so he can earn that freedom and be that family man.

Among film noir buffs, however, this film is noted more for Richard Widmark's debut as the sadistic "Tommy Udo." One of the most famous noir scenes of all time is "Udo" throwing an old lady in a wheelchair down a flight of stairs! Widmark puts on a fake pair of choppers giving him an exaggerated overbite to go along with his insane little giggle. He also calls everyone a "squirt." His over- the-top performance puts a lot a spark into this film which, otherwise would have wound up more as a melodrama.

Two other actors have key roles in here: Brian Donlevy and Colleen Gray (making her credited film debut, too1). Donlevey plays a character who never see in modern-day films: a compassionate district attorney who goes out of his way to help "Nick." It's refreshing to see, for a change. Gray becomes Nick's love interest and is a very appealing wholesome type, as are the two sweet little girls Nick had with his former wife who killed herself while Nick was in prison. Gray becomes the step-mother.

Although not spectacular, the film is entertaining, especially the suspenseful last 20 minutes. It's quite dated in spots but Widmark's character alone is worth investigating this film if you've never seen it. I'm surprised there aren't more reviews of this.

Vic and Dick In Old Manhattan

[telegonus · 9/10 · 23 September 2002]

This is one of the better remembered crime films of the forties, and boasts excellent direction by Henry Hathaway, a good script by Ben Hecht and Charles Lederer, and fine New York location photography by Norbert Brodine. Victor Mature plays a small-time crook who's enlisted by an assistant D.A. to infiltrate a gang of criminals whose leader, played by Richard Widmark, in his movie debut, is a psychopath with a very bent sense of humor. Psycho killers were relatively new to movies in the forties, and Widmark's may be the most famous of the lot. One can see his influence in films for years to come, as any number of actors made their debuts playing similar roles. No one surpassed Widmark for sheer sadism, however, as when he ties up an old lady in a wheelchair and sends her tumbling down a flight of stairs. This remains his most famous role, and when his obituary is written, the author, if he knows his movies at all, will mention it in the first sentence. Kiss Of Death is a decent crime story, at times very tense, but not otherwise exceptional. Surprisingly, Victor Mature gives a warm, emotional performance in the leading role, and Widmark's villainy would not have been so nearly as effective without this. How dull this picture might have been had Dana Andrews or Mark Stevens played this part.

And me I have Nick.....

[dbdumonteil · 9/10 · 3 July 2008]

Except for the stunning but a bit implausible end,"kiss of death" is close to perfect.Hathaway was anything by sentimental (except maybe in his romantic dream "Peter Ibetson" )and his "kiss of death " is a film noir extraordinaire .The story is partly told by Nattie's voice over ,a voice who tells us in the first minutes that if the hero acts as he does,he has no choice cause all his attempts at getting a job have failed.

In this cruel world,Hathaway introduces quiet lovely scenes:the music lesson in the orphanage is a great moment which sharply contrasts with the rest of the movie.The cast is first rate: Mature who was certainly more intelligent than he was given credit for plays a good guy down on his luck and who tries to pick up the pieces and to enjoy a home with his daughters and his new wife;Donlevy gives a subtle performance ,and it's he who gives the kiss of death of the title;and last but not least,the absolutely outstanding Richard Widmark,who steals every scene he is in:his laugh is unforgettable,and the scene with Rizzo's disabled mother is in anyone's memory.

No clichés,no femme fatale,no heroes,but a human being trying to survive in the urban jungle.The last part of the film is almost Hitchcockesque:Nick and his wife,in the night,fearing anything: a door which slams,a car in the streets ,a shadow on the wall."Wherever we were,HE would be waiting,waiting".

Another great movie by Hathaway as brilliant in film noir as he was in adventure movies ("lives of a Bengal lancer")

Udo Something To Me

[Lejink · 7/10 · 19 September 2022]

A tense, gripping film noir, most notable for the remarkable debut of Richard Widmark as a psychotic thug, but also for a fine performance by an actor whose performances, I think, were too often denigrated, not least by himself, namely Victor Mature.

Both their performances plus the extensive use of actual New York locations and a gritty, contemporary screenplay by the celebrated screen-writing team of Ben Hecht and Charles Lederer, help elevate this already fine feature to a different level.

Widmark plays Tommy Udo, a small-time crook, who dresses in what he thinks is a stylish suit and an unusual dark shirt and light tie combination, not to mention white socks. The local police, particularly local captain Brian Dunlevy, are anxious to get Udo back behind bars and when they catch Mature's Nick Bianco at the scene of another robbery, knowing that he's a past associate of Udo's, they lean on him to give up Udo on unsolved past crimes they carried out together. At first, Mature turns down flat the police proposal, but then Dunlevy promises him a new identity in a new town, with his family, if he'll turn State's evidence and get Udo sent down. Although worried about being perceived as a stool-pigeon by the criminal fraternity with whom he was once associated, especially after we learn that his wife has recently committed suicide for reasons unspecified but obliquely linked to another gangster connected to Udo, Mature, with a new young girlfriend in tow, finally takes the cheese, trusting in so doing that his evidence against Udo will be sufficiently corroborated to finally see the villain incarcerated, at least that's what Dunlevy's character assures him. But this is a film noir and you can bet that fatalism as ever, interferes with reality, and Udo gets off.

Now, living in fear, especially after he learns that Udo has disposed of another informant's uncooperative wheelchair-bound mother by callously rolling her down a stairwell to her death, Mature packs off his kids and new girl to an out of town location and prepares both himself and Dunlevy for the final showdown between the two thieves who have fallen out...

Widmark is absolutely chilling with his projected buck teeth, dress sense, wicked cackle and above all, his hair-trigger temperament. Mature is a fine counterweight for him, with a measured performance as a criminal desperate to make his way in the world despite his past.

A tough, archetypal noir movie, directed with style and intelligence by the veteran Henry Hathaway, you'll go a long way before you find a better one than this.

A Must - See!

[mycatslyone · 10/10 · 28 May 2005]

Widmark will ALWAYS be remembered for his role as Tommy Udo in this film! The skinny kid with the stupid laugh & no conscience, pushing a wheel-chaired lady down a flight of stairs! He switches emotions in a heartbeat! EERIE! Victure Mature is really the star of this movie & he looks GREAT in every scene! Those crisp suits & those hats! When he has to turn informant so his now-motherless kids can have him back at home instead of in "the big house", Udo goes after him with a vengeance. The tension between these two is combustible! I LOVE this film! Brian Donlevy is very good as the D.A. "Nick Bianco" (Mature) must do business with in order to be free. It works!

Good crime-drama

[grantss · 7/10 · 25 February 2019]

Nick Bianco is caught during a botched jewellery heist. The prosecution offer him a more lenient sentence if he squeals on his accomplices but he doesn't roll over on them. Three years into the sentence an event changes his mind, leading him down a very dangerous path.

Good crime-drama. Interesting plot with a decent degree of intrigue. Great performance by Richard Widmark, in his cinematic debut, as the insanely fiendish Tommy Udo. Widmark got a Best Supporting Actor Oscar nomination for his performance.

Not brilliant though. The tension is never dialled up enough and certain plot developments aren't entirely plausible. Some flat, listless periods that slow the momentum.

This is my kind of film noir...great performances from fine cast...

[Doylenf · 8/10 · 30 December 2006]

KISS OF DEATH easily ranks among the best film noirs of the '40s and it's widely remembered now as the first time audiences got a peek at RICHARD WIDMARK and what a fine actor he was. But it also served to remind us that when given a strong enough role, VICTOR MATURE was more than able to deliver the goods. He's excellent as Nick, the jewel thief kept back from holding decent jobs because of his prison record.

When a nice D.A. (BRIAN DONLEVY) offers him a deal in exchange for squealing on some hoods, Nick finally takes the offer. The rest of the story deals with the consequences of his hard choice.

Some nice supporting roles for MILDRED DUNNOCK, KARL MALDEN, COLEEN GRAY and MILLARD MITCHELL help turn this thriller, directed in taut style by Henry Hathaway, into a winner. Widmark deserved his Oscar nomination as Best Supporting Actor and Mature proved that he was more than just "a hunk of man" as he was labeled in those days.

"Your side of the fence is almost as dirty as mine".

[classicsoncall · 7/10 · 20 June 2009]

"Kiss of Death" is a fairly standard noir drama made memorable by the presence of Richard Widmark as the maniacal gangster Tommy Udo. All the time while watching him though, I kept thinking of Frank Gorshin as The Riddler in the campy 'Batman' TV show of the mid-Sixties. Probably because I was a teenager when 'Batman' came out, and I had already seen Gorshin doing his impression bits on variety shows of the era. It would be interesting to surmise that Gorshin based his Riddler on Widmark's Tommy Udo, but his own explanation removes that possibility.

Without Widmark, this story would probably be relegated to 'just another crime drama' status, even though a good performance is turned in by it's principal, Victor Mature, as a criminal attempting to go straight via the 'stoolie' route. His character, Nick Bianco, is portrayed as a caring family man who becomes even more conflicted after his wife commits suicide while he's in the can. That's where he and Tommy first hook up, with their entanglement proceeding on the outside when both are paroled.

What makes the picture particularly interesting for me were all the great location street scenes that give the picture it's New York City flavor. Did you ever see such brand spanking new looking taxi cabs as those shown here, courtesy of Yellow Cab and Sky View? Try finding one as classy today and you'll be looking a long time.

What you don't want to do while watching is put this film under the microscope for some of the credibility defying moments that creep into the story. There's that tense shadowy scene when Nick Bianco waits for Tommy Udo and his goons to show up at his house, and it turns out to be Assistant D.A. D'Angelo (Brian Donlevy). Then when Nick confronts Tommy at the restaurant, you have to wonder why he made it past the front door. But the question that really nagged me throughout the story was this - why did every hood in the big house always wear a suit and tie?

Victor Mature is the real star in this ace noir that made Richard Widmark's name

[OldAle1 · 10/10 · 21 January 2009]

Nick Bianco and his gang sweat through the first few minutes of this knockout noir as they pull off a jewelry heist on a high floor in a Manhattan skyscraper. The tension is superbly handled as the trio waits out a long elevator ride down, knowing that one of the tied up or unconscious jewelers could be alerting the police at any time, and the Christmas joy and cheer around them only heightens the anger and frustration that Bianco feels at having to resort to a life of crime, though we are told (by the interesting choice of a female narrator) that he's been trying to go straight. Alas, Bianco gets caught - though the rest of his gang gets away - and goes to prison, despite a sympathetic Assistant DA trying very hard to get him to save himself - and his wife and kids - by squealing.

Justly famed as the film that made Richard Widmark a star, and there's no question that he steals every scene he's in, smirking and snickering with one of the creepiest laughs and most obviously crazed faces you've ever seen. But Widmark's only a supporting character, and the picture more rightly belongs to Victor Mature as the small-time lifelong con trying to go straight - and Mature delivers in probably the best performance of his career, aching with a weariness that only prison could bring to a man still in his prime, with sad eyes and regret etched into every movement in his lumbering frame. Widmark was nominated for Best Supporting Actor, but IMO Mature deserved a nod in the lead category just as much; it's really hard to imagine anybody - even the biggest of noir stars like Kirk Douglas, Robert Ryan or Humphrey Bogart - doing better in the role.

I won't spoil the rest of the plot - this one develops very organically and naturally for the most part, and the use of real locations in New York and the acting choices and fairly low-key music make this one of the more "real"-seeming and natural of all films noir. An utter masterpiece.

Kiss of Death

[StevenKeys · 7/10 · 12 March 2023]

When a career criminal serving another stretch (Mature) learns his kids are in trouble, he breaks code by turning informant, those he exposed learning of his cooperation while the D. A. (Donlevy) proves impotent in both prosecution and protection, hence, the drama. Supporting cast includes cop Karl Malden (Waterfront), dirty lawyer Taylor Holmes (Quicksand) and comely Coleen Gray (KC-Confidential Red-River) in her first credited part as Nettie, the baby-sitter-turned femme swell.

It is giggling gangster Tommy Udo (Widmark's Oscar nom'd premiere) who is topic of conversation whenever KOD is on schedule, to the glee of film-creep connoisseurs, but it's Vic's conflicted crook turned caring father who gives this movie its guts, Nick's anguish and rare insights into the mental maneuvers of a stoolie, something Goodfellas' Henry Hill leaves blank. Besides, Richard really excelled playing the good guy (The-Bedford-Incident) and dubious dudes (Pickup-On-South-St) which is why Udo feels over-the-top as a caricature of evil (wheelchair incident). Forties movie-goers may've felt the same as Kiss failed at the box-office, the contrived ending no help (2.5/4).

Seven Plus Stars? Really?

[arfdawg-1 · 3/10 · 19 September 2019]

This movie is a bore fest. There's an enormous useless sub plot with this annoying kids that just brings the entire film down. I mentally checked out once this came into play. The film became slow and laborious.

I love film noir. This isnt really that. It's more of a straight drama.