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glitteryvKiss of Death (YouTube)
A 1947 20th Century Fox movie abt Nick (Victor Mature), a low-level thug, who gets arrest on Christmas Eve after participating in a jewelry heist at a fancy building. He's brought up to the Assistant DA and gets an offer of a deal IF he snitches abt the robbery, who was involved, etc.
The Assistant DA mentions the judge that Nick will be facing is v. tough and he'll probably end up with a harsh sentence. However, Nick, who is married and has two little girls, declines the offer. He's cocky abt it too; he'll do the time cuz his lawyer has assured him that he'll get parole v. quickly. So, three years have passed and Nick begins to worry abt his wife and children (whom, the lawyer had assured him, would be taken care of.) It turns out his wife is dead and his children have been sent to an orphanage.
Then, a young woman named Nettie (Coleen Gray) visits him to give him all of the info. Nettie used to babysit Nick's children up until a few weeks before his wife died. Now distressed by everything that's happened, Nick decides to reach out to the Assistant DA for the deal (that'd include him becoming a stool pigeon)...
This is a v., v. noir movie in the sense that main character as well as a lot of the folks around him are part of the criminal underground, it has tons of examples as to how the evil within that world corrupts everything, and there's is the idea of Fate vs. the individual. It's also a fairly realistic movie? Frex, the reason why Nick had been part of the initial jewelry is cuz he'd been turned down while looking for a job because he had some prior (minor) convictions. So the movie does include a tiny social commentary as to what post-incarcertation life is like for ppl. (With the caveat that, even though is situation is quite crummy, it''s less shitty than, say, a Black man with a similar record. IJS)
I liked everyone's casting (for the most part.) Victor Mature's portrayal of Nick is a lot softer than what you'd expect. He truly loves his kids, he cares abt his wife. The Assistant DA picks up on this and tries to use that love as a pressure point to get him to squeal. It looks like Nick's fairly close to agreeing at first before decided to keep his mouth shut. But, after the news abt his wife, he's determined to take care of his children (to the point of hopefully regaining custody of them and all that.) Mature plays it all with a lot of nuance.
One of the most interesting things abt this movie is that this was meant to be a vehicle of sorts for Mature. However, it ended up being a breakout film for Richard Widwark as Tommy Udo, one of the most dangerous criminals I've seen in a movie. Udo can (and does) go off at any moment for ANY reason. And Widmark plays him so well! His presence, physicality, and behavior won't let you take your eyes off him. He's a great villain.
Fun fact: Brian Donlevy who plays the Assistant DA in this movie is the same guy who was the second-in-command in The Big Combo. In this one, he's a lot less dejected, LOL.
Do I have any criticisms?
Colleen Gray as Nettie is a casting that I'm kinda meh abt. When she first appears, she comes across as a 19-y.o. (Gray was 25) and, later on, she still gives off teenage girl vibes. It doesn't help that the costume is extremely youthful. ON TOP OF THAT, Victor Mature (who was 33/34) looks, dresses, and moves around in the movie like someone who is at least 6 yrs old (so abt 40 y.o.)
There's an attraction between them, but her character has such a naive aura all through the movie. It creates this kinda weird imbalance. The one part I 😬 was when, after kissing, Nettie tells Nick something along the lines of "I've wanted you ever since I was a girl long time ago when I used to look at you". All right-y, then. O__o
Do I recommend it?
Yes! It's a quintessential noir that's got some good dialogue, acting, and some intense moments. You can watch it on Hulu Premium, YT Premium, and any of the free movie apps. I'm giving it a 3 out of 5 cuz I was that entertained.
Queerness level: Medium. This movie has two relationships that center Nick as the Subject of Desire. The first one leans more into INTENSE platonic vibes. It's between the Assistant DA and Nick. Especially after the Assistant DA dude makes a point abt how he usually doesn't go to bat for any criminal out there, but there's something abt Nick that has softened him up to him. IDK.
The second relationship is a lot more blatant and it's between Nick and Udo.
FTR, it's super obvious that Nick does NOT like Udo in any way, shape or form. Not as a person, not in a sexually/romantic sense, and not as a fellow criminal. Nick thinks Udo is disgusting. His whole vibe is NO, THANK YOU, UDO. I DON'T WANT TO SEE YOU. Kudos to Mature for layering his performance in such a way that you can see the contempt Nick feels even while around Udo.
HOWEVAH, that's not the case with Udo. From the start, from the v. second they meet, Udo REALLY LIKES NICK for some "unexplained reason".
Like, to the point that, after not interacting for at least 3 yrs, Udo is ECSTATIC abt running into Nick while at a boxing match with his girlfriend. They go to a jazz club. UDO IS ON CLOUD NINE: he's drinking champagne, listening to amazing live music, and spending time with HIS PAL NICK. FWIW, Nick is playing along (which Udo never realizes) in order to snitch on him.
All of the sudden, Udo tells his girlfriend (who never gets a name) to go home and stay there (cuz he'll go by later) JUST SO HE CAN KEEP ON PARTYING WITH NICK. The gf is obvs upset, but there's not much she can do (because Udo is, again, super volatile and scary). Once she leaves, Udo's like LET ME SHOW YOU WHAT THERE'S TO DO IN THIS TOWN!!! (🥳🥳🥳)
He's totally fixated with Nick in a way that goes beyond being chummy or even criminal pals. It's subtext, but it's THERE. IJS.
FTR, Udo does have a presence from the second he first shows up. However, the movie is abt Nick's ups and downs and so, Udo takes a backseat (plotwise) until a latter part of the film. (Adding this for folks who might want to check this movie out cuz of Foe!Yay reasons).
A 1947 20th Century Fox movie abt Nick (Victor Mature), a low-level thug, who gets arrest on Christmas Eve after participating in a jewelry heist at a fancy building. He's brought up to the Assistant DA and gets an offer of a deal IF he snitches abt the robbery, who was involved, etc.
The Assistant DA mentions the judge that Nick will be facing is v. tough and he'll probably end up with a harsh sentence. However, Nick, who is married and has two little girls, declines the offer. He's cocky abt it too; he'll do the time cuz his lawyer has assured him that he'll get parole v. quickly. So, three years have passed and Nick begins to worry abt his wife and children (whom, the lawyer had assured him, would be taken care of.) It turns out his wife is dead and his children have been sent to an orphanage.
Then, a young woman named Nettie (Coleen Gray) visits him to give him all of the info. Nettie used to babysit Nick's children up until a few weeks before his wife died. Now distressed by everything that's happened, Nick decides to reach out to the Assistant DA for the deal (that'd include him becoming a stool pigeon)...
This is a v., v. noir movie in the sense that main character as well as a lot of the folks around him are part of the criminal underground, it has tons of examples as to how the evil within that world corrupts everything, and there's is the idea of Fate vs. the individual. It's also a fairly realistic movie? Frex, the reason why Nick had been part of the initial jewelry is cuz he'd been turned down while looking for a job because he had some prior (minor) convictions. So the movie does include a tiny social commentary as to what post-incarcertation life is like for ppl. (With the caveat that, even though is situation is quite crummy, it''s less shitty than, say, a Black man with a similar record. IJS)
I liked everyone's casting (for the most part.) Victor Mature's portrayal of Nick is a lot softer than what you'd expect. He truly loves his kids, he cares abt his wife. The Assistant DA picks up on this and tries to use that love as a pressure point to get him to squeal. It looks like Nick's fairly close to agreeing at first before decided to keep his mouth shut. But, after the news abt his wife, he's determined to take care of his children (to the point of hopefully regaining custody of them and all that.) Mature plays it all with a lot of nuance.
One of the most interesting things abt this movie is that this was meant to be a vehicle of sorts for Mature. However, it ended up being a breakout film for Richard Widwark as Tommy Udo, one of the most dangerous criminals I've seen in a movie. Udo can (and does) go off at any moment for ANY reason. And Widmark plays him so well! His presence, physicality, and behavior won't let you take your eyes off him. He's a great villain.
Fun fact: Brian Donlevy who plays the Assistant DA in this movie is the same guy who was the second-in-command in The Big Combo. In this one, he's a lot less dejected, LOL.
Do I have any criticisms?
Colleen Gray as Nettie is a casting that I'm kinda meh abt. When she first appears, she comes across as a 19-y.o. (Gray was 25) and, later on, she still gives off teenage girl vibes. It doesn't help that the costume is extremely youthful. ON TOP OF THAT, Victor Mature (who was 33/34) looks, dresses, and moves around in the movie like someone who is at least 6 yrs old (so abt 40 y.o.)
There's an attraction between them, but her character has such a naive aura all through the movie. It creates this kinda weird imbalance. The one part I 😬 was when, after kissing, Nettie tells Nick something along the lines of "I've wanted you ever since I was a girl long time ago when I used to look at you". All right-y, then. O__o
Do I recommend it?
Yes! It's a quintessential noir that's got some good dialogue, acting, and some intense moments. You can watch it on Hulu Premium, YT Premium, and any of the free movie apps. I'm giving it a 3 out of 5 cuz I was that entertained.
Queerness level: Medium. This movie has two relationships that center Nick as the Subject of Desire. The first one leans more into INTENSE platonic vibes. It's between the Assistant DA and Nick. Especially after the Assistant DA dude makes a point abt how he usually doesn't go to bat for any criminal out there, but there's something abt Nick that has softened him up to him. IDK.
The second relationship is a lot more blatant and it's between Nick and Udo.
FTR, it's super obvious that Nick does NOT like Udo in any way, shape or form. Not as a person, not in a sexually/romantic sense, and not as a fellow criminal. Nick thinks Udo is disgusting. His whole vibe is NO, THANK YOU, UDO. I DON'T WANT TO SEE YOU. Kudos to Mature for layering his performance in such a way that you can see the contempt Nick feels even while around Udo.
HOWEVAH, that's not the case with Udo. From the start, from the v. second they meet, Udo REALLY LIKES NICK for some "unexplained reason".
Like, to the point that, after not interacting for at least 3 yrs, Udo is ECSTATIC abt running into Nick while at a boxing match with his girlfriend. They go to a jazz club. UDO IS ON CLOUD NINE: he's drinking champagne, listening to amazing live music, and spending time with HIS PAL NICK. FWIW, Nick is playing along (which Udo never realizes) in order to snitch on him.
All of the sudden, Udo tells his girlfriend (who never gets a name) to go home and stay there (cuz he'll go by later) JUST SO HE CAN KEEP ON PARTYING WITH NICK. The gf is obvs upset, but there's not much she can do (because Udo is, again, super volatile and scary). Once she leaves, Udo's like LET ME SHOW YOU WHAT THERE'S TO DO IN THIS TOWN!!! (🥳🥳🥳)
He's totally fixated with Nick in a way that goes beyond being chummy or even criminal pals. It's subtext, but it's THERE. IJS.
FTR, Udo does have a presence from the second he first shows up. However, the movie is abt Nick's ups and downs and so, Udo takes a backseat (plotwise) until a latter part of the film. (Adding this for folks who might want to check this movie out cuz of Foe!Yay reasons).
