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The Defiant Ones (1958)
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Reviews Counted:14
Fresh:12
Rotten:2
Average Rating:7/10
Runtime: 1 hr 41 mins
Genre: Dramas
Synopsis: Two escaped convicts -- one black (Poitier), one white (Curtis), and both shackled in the same pair of handcuffs -- battle the elements and each other as they travel Southern back roads eluding the... Two escaped convicts -- one black (Poitier), one white (Curtis), and both shackled in the same pair of handcuffs -- battle the elements and each other as they travel Southern back roads eluding the ever-approaching posse. Though the device of binding two racial antagonists together for survival may be rather obvious, the performances make the result compelling. Watch for Lon Chaney, Jr. along the way. [More]
Starring: Tony Curtis, Sidney Poitier, Theodore Bikel, Lon Chaney
Starring: Tony Curtis, Sidney Poitier, Theodore Bikel, Lon Chaney, Charles McGraw, King Donovan, Cara Williams, Kevin Coughlin, Lon Chaney, Claude Akins, Lawrence Dobkin, Whit Bissell, Carl "Alfalfa" Switzer
Director: Stanley Kramer
Director: Stanley Kramer
Screenwriter: Nathan E. Douglas
Producer: Stanley Kramer
Composer: Ernest Gold
Screenwriter: Harold Jacob Smith
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Reviews for The Defiant Ones
Although an advance on Hollywood's usual treatment of racial themes, the script is too message-laden and the direction (by do-gooder Kramer) too single-minded and naively optimistic to really work.
Kramer was never much of a director, but there's still power in some of the performances, especially Poitier's.
The suspense of the manhunt in the swamps never really overcomes the dead weight of Kramer's 'message', but pleasures are to be found in the supporting roles of McGraw and Chaney.
Given the era of this movie, it was a controversial topic and a theme that Kramer handles courageously. He does a good job of showcasing Poitier and Curtis in their prime and the film's Oscar-winning cinematography is crisp and outstanding.
Poitier and Curtis are great. Whoever thinks Curtis is just a pretty face should see his gripping performance.
With two superb performances and palpable tension, the film has a strength that rises above the simplicity of the storyline.
| Tomatometer Percentage | Movie |
|---|---|
| 15% 15% | The Ugly Truth |
| 98% 98% | Up |
| 36% 36% | G.I. Joe: The Rise of … |
| 52% 52% | The Taking of Pelham 1… |
| 45% 45% | Ice Age: Dawn of the D… |
| Tomatometer Percentage | Movie |
|---|---|
| 95% 95% | Star Trek |
| 67% 67% | Bruno |
| 47% 47% | My Sister's Keeper |
| 66% 66% | Is Anybody There? |
| 82% 82% | Thirst |
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