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02/19/09
The Defiant Ones (1958)
86
%
Tomatometer
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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... [More]
Starring: Tony Curtis, Sidney Poitier, Theodore Bikel, Lon Chaney
Director: Stanley Kramer
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Reviews for The Defiant Ones
1 - 16 (sorted by date)
Top CriticIt becomes shackled with its heavy-handed liberal message.
05/21/08
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.
11/07/07
Top CriticThis was the film that established Poitier as a star.
11/07/07
Top CriticKramer was never much of a director, but there's still power in some of the performances, especially Poitier's.
11/07/07
Top CriticThe 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.
01/26/06
No review available.
06/27/05
No review available.
04/22/05
No review available.
10/08/04
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.
03/16/04
It is nervous and suspenseful from the start.
05/20/03
Top CriticGroundbreaking.
03/10/03
It’s not high art, but it is a well-made, well-rounded movie.
08/21/02
Poitier and Curtis are great. Whoever thinks Curtis is just a pretty face should see his gripping performance.
08/20/02
With two superb performances and palpable tension, the film has a strength that rises above the simplicity of the storyline.
01/01/00
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