Kiss of Death (1947) - Henry Hathaway 

   With a forward at the opening credits proclaiming that this film was shot on real locations in New York you know one thing, youre watching a Henry Hathaway film. Hathaway had built a reputation at Fox for being a realist director. Shooting on location, adapting true stories, and the like. No matter how fictional the tales might be, the studios still helped to proclaim them as realistic, gritty films. Kiss of Death is another in this continuing series of true tales of crime and the social underworld. It is far from the first crime film to depict our main criminal as more of a victim than a thug. Nick (Victor Mature) is someone who got a raw deal, who were led to believe is in crime because he cant get any other job. This is a typically ultra-liberal approach to defending criminals, but there is some validity to it, at least in terms of this film.
   Nick betrays his one code of honor, and that is the code of silence. The film may seem a counterpoint to the HUAC hearings which had their first round the year this film was made. That the notions of whether or not to squeal were honorable. Nick has respect amongst his peers. Hes no good as a criminal, but he keeps his mouth shut, and he takes whats coming to him. When his wife kills herself however, he doesnt see much of a point in sitting rotting in prison. His new mission is to be with his kids, and this again is making an excuse for Nick and his behavior.
   Victor Mature was considered one of the worst leading actors of his era, and this film isnt much to persuade you otherwise. His performance at its best is merely adequate, but generally speaking you cant tell if his character is intentionally acting bad, or hes just that lousy of an actor. His dialogue is delivered with little inflection, and he always looks miserable and mopey. Hard to get a reading on him, and he is easily upstaged by nearly every other member of the cast. What people remember most from the film however is Richard Widmark, who was still rather unknown at the time of this films premiere. He plays a villain for the ages with Tommy Udo. The films most notorious scene involves him pushing the crippled mother of a man he believes to be a stool pigeon down a flight of stairs. It is pure evil, and a sinister moment that was largely unequalled in previous films.
   His character is so evil its great. The film suffers when hes not on screen. Widmark steals every moment hes in the picture. His vocal inflections are great, and that maniacal laugh, it can give you chills. Hes a thug and bad guy, who still seems evil and comparable to the much more notorious and violent criminals of modern movies. Widmark would become a legend of noir in his own right with a string of future films at Fox, most notably Night and the City and Pickup on South Street. Here hes making an entrance and the movie is completely his when hes on screen. It gets to the point where you almost want him to get away at the end, because hes the more fascinating character, but in the world of 1947 film morality, theres no way someone like that can walk away.
   The female of the story played by Colleen Gray is your typical supporting role. Shes there as the object of adoration. Patiently waiting for Nick to come out, and always willing to stand by him. She serves no real narrative function except to give him some additional reason to fight. She takes over as mother to his children and you get a feeling that he instantly loves her more than his dead wife, whom he doesnt seem to grieve for long. Not to say Gray does a particularly bad job acting here, but the constraints of her role dont particularly give her much depth. It is a typical tactic of Hathaway who always injects his film with an impersonality and a documentary quality. He is after just the facts, there is no room for psychology or depth. The only socioeconomic issues brought up in his films leave little room for interpretation. Hes saying what the characters are feeling, and he even undermines our intelligence further with stale voice over narration that over simplifies the already simple morality. Based on the strength of Widmark however, Kiss of Death will forever be a highlight in the world of film noir.

Grade B +