Movie Review: Film Noir Collection D.O.A.

The plot in this movie is too complex for my taste. One reviewer compares it to The Big Sleep and is right on the money. But Edmond O'Brien turns in a stellar performance as an ambivalent batchelor/accountant who is the target of a murder for a document he notarized years ago which might expose the shenanigans of a criminal organization peddling stolen property. The film employs a flashback format to explain the intricacies of too many characters with too many motives. But O'Brien's character is embelmatic of a personality type of the era, 1946, who would be looked upon as a thug today: the independent tough guy. He walks into an office and literally strong arms a secretary into revealing information to him. His rough attitude towards woman comes off as necessary and socially accpetable. Today, such conduct would make him a social pariah. The ending scene is quite a hoot. A San Francisco detective, after hearing the whole story and watching O'Brien drop dead on the floor, asks how to classify the case. His supervisor, in a tone about as full of emotion as ordering a cup of coffee, tells him to label it "dead on arrival." All in all, a fun movie to watch. And I have to wonder, why do Hollywood lowlifes of the 1940's and 50's all wear custom made suits?