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Information

Year
1948
Runtime
79 min.
Director
Abraham Polonsky
Genres
Crime, Drama, Film-Noir
Rating *
7.4
Votes *
2,827
Checks
1,995
Favs
103
Dislikes
15
Favs/checks
5.2% (1:19)
Favs/dislikes
7:1
* View IMDb information

Top comments

  1. monty's avatar

    monty

    Jonathan Rosenbaum on the film:

    If we consider how the Hollywood Blacklist cheated us out of great films and brilliant careers that might otherwise have existed, it’s hard to think of a worse casualty than writer-director Abraham Polonsky (1910-1999).
    “Might talkies be like the opera?” Polonsky once asked. “The main thing is the music but O the joy when the singers act and the songs are poetry....I assumed for Force of Evil that the three elements, visual image, actor, word, are equals....All I tried to do was use the succession of visual images, the appearance of human personality in the actors, and the rhythm of words in unison or counterpoint.”
    The results, played out in the anguished love between a crooked New York lawyer (Garfield) and his honest brother (Thomas Gomez), is a tragedy of uncommon force. And then Polonsky couldn’t direct another feature for 21 years.
    12 years 5 months ago
  2. iCheckFilms's avatar

    iCheckFilms

    Wow! That was an awesome noir. It's a shame Polonsky was barred for 20 odd years from making movies post this. The loss is not just Polonsky's, but whole of Hollywood's! It was a death-knell to what could have been a remarkable career. *sigh* 11 years 3 months ago
  3. Panunzio's avatar

    Panunzio

    quote:
    What do you mean, gangsters?! It's business!
    5 years ago
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In 13 official lists

  1. This movie ranks #17 in Sight & Sound's 75 Hidden Gems
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    Sight & Sound's 75 Hidde…

    17
  2. This movie ranks #29 in A Personal Journey with Martin Scorsese
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    A Personal Journey with …

    29
  3. This movie ranks #32 in 101 Gangster Movies You Must See Before You Die
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    101 Gangster Movies You …

    32
  4. This movie ranks #46 in TSPDT's 1,000 Noir Films
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    TSPDT's 1,000 Noir Films

    46
  5. This movie ranks #46 in TSPDT's 100 Essential Noir Films
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    TSPDT's 100 Essential No…

    46
  6. This movie ranks #137 in Library of Congress's National Film Registry
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    Library of Congress's Na…

    137
  7. This movie ranks #200 in 1001 Movies You Must See Before You Die
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    1001 Movies You Must See…

    200
  8. This movie ranks #271 in Jonathan Rosenbaum's Essential Cinema
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    Jonathan Rosenbaum's Ess…

    271
  9. This movie ranks #291 in The New York Times's Book of Movies
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    The New York Times's Boo…

    291
  10. This movie ranks #327 in The Guardian's 1000 Films to See Before You Die
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    The Guardian's 1000 Film…

    327
  11. This movie ranks #361 in David Thomson's Have You Seen?
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    David Thomson's Have You…

    361
  12. This movie ranks #528 in TSPDT's 1,000 Greatest Films: 1001-2500
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    TSPDT's 1,000 Greatest F…

    528
  13. This movie ranks #989 in Halliwell's Top 1000: The Ultimate Movie Countdown
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    Halliwell's Top 1000: Th…

    989
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