D.O.A. 1950

D.O.A.

Critics Consensus

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88%

TOMATOMETER

Total Count: 25

76%

Audience Score

User Ratings: 2,699

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D.O.A. Photos

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Movie Info

Frank Bigelow (Edmond O'Brien) is about to die, and he knows it. The accountant has been poisoned and has only 24 hours before the lethal concoction kills him. Determined to find out who his murderer is, Frank, with the help of his assistant and girlfriend, Paula (Pamela Britton), begins to trace back over his last steps. As he frantically tries to unravel the mystery behind his own impending demise, his sleuthing leads him to a group of crooked businessmen and another murder.
  • Genre:
    crime, drama
  • Original Language:
    English
  • Director:
    Rudolph Maté
  • Producer:
    Leo C. Popkin
  • Release Date (Streaming):
  • Runtime:
  • Production Co:
    Cardinal Pictures

Cast & Crew

Edmond O'Brien
Frank Bigelow
Pamela Britton
Paula Gibson
Luther Adler
Majak
Beverly Garland
Miss Foster
Lynn Baggett
Mrs. Philips
William Ching
Halliday
Henry Hart
Stanley Phili
Neville Brand
Chester
Rudolph Maté
Director
Russell Rouse
Writer (Story)
Russell Rouse
Writer (Screenplay)
Clarence Greene
Writer (Story)
Clarence Greene
Writer (Screenplay)
Leo C. Popkin
Producer
Harry M. Popkin
Executive Producer
Joseph H. Nadel
Associate Producer
Dimitri Tiomkin
Original Music
Ernest Laszlo
Cinematographer
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Critic Reviews for D.O.A.

All Critics (25) | Top Critics (4) | Fresh (22) | Rotten (3)

  • Mate's direction of the first portion of the story lingers too long over it, spreading the expectancy very thin, but when he does launch his suspense-building it comes over with a solid wallop.

    March 26, 2009 | Full Review…

    Variety Staff

    Variety
    Top Critic

  • Incidental pleasures include a bevy of suspiciously beautiful women... the wide lapels and fedoras favored by the heavies, and the ''in'' talk of the period, featuring words like ''hip,'' ''jive'' and ''kicks.''

    March 25, 2006 | Full Review…

    Walter Goodman

    New York Times
    Top Critic

  • Mat shoots fast and always to the point as he drives his protagonist through endless doorways and rooms which are like trapdoors and boxes in an accelerating nightmare.

    January 26, 2006 | Full Review…
    Time Out
    Top Critic

  • Quote not available.

    June 13, 2001 | Rating: 4/5 | Full Review…
    BBC.com
    Top Critic

  • Is an intriguing film noir by Rudolph Maté. Although the plot is familiar to me in its presentation of fraud, passion and murder, it's entertaining enough to keep me hooked. [Full review in Spanish]

    August 3, 2020 | Rating: 7/10 | Full Review…

    Yasser Medina

    Cinemaficionados

  • ...an underwhelming thriller that could and should have fared so much better.

    October 27, 2015 | Rating: 2/4 | Full Review…

    David Nusair

    Reel Film Reviews
View All Critic Reviews (25)

Audience Reviews for D.O.A.

  • Aug 27, 2018
    1950, when this noir was made, was a long time ago (nearly 70 years as of this writing). The wolf whistles played whenever a pretty woman's onscreen (which I first suspected were included after the fact of the filming by some internet prankster), Neville Brand's over-the-top "I'm a craaa-zzzzy psycho" routine, much here seems dated now, but the suspense of watching a dead man search for his killer still packs a wallop. And makes for a good movie experience.
    Kevin M. W Super Reviewer
  • Jun 27, 2013
    "I want to report a murder." "Who was murdered?" "I was." One of the great "grabber" openings in movie history doesn't disappoint, leading to a tense and fatalistic noir about a poisoned accountant searching for his own killer.
    Greg S Super Reviewer
  • Nov 29, 2012
    Age has done a real number on it, but "D.O.A." still stands as one of the great B noirs. Edmond O'Brien is pitch-perfect as Frank Bigelow, a man put up to the dubious task of solving his own murder. The plot is expertly messy and unravels in a fun yet ingenious way and the acting is top-notch. Even if it isn't pretty to look at it, "D.O.A." is solid entertainment.
    Stephen E Super Reviewer
  • Nov 10, 2011
    I watched the Dennis quaid/Meg ryan 80s remake many years ago, and finally seeing this in 2011, its a pretty decent late 40s film, delving deep into charactors tracking diown of the murderers of him, hes dying due to poison, the plot is good and it comes off well, and itsa always great seeing these films from back then
    scott g Super Reviewer
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