The MoFo Top 100 Film Noir Countdown

#54 D.O.A. (1949)

Director: Rudolph Maté
Production: Cardinal Pictures Inc.
Cast: Edmond O'Brien, Pamela Britton, Luther Adler
68 Points, 9 Lists

#53 Kansas City Confidential (1952)

Director: Phil Karlson
Production: Associated Pictures Productions
Cast: John Payne, Coleen Gray, Preston Foster
69 Points, 8 Lists

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"Film is a disease. When it infects your bloodstream it takes over as the number one hormone. It bosses the enzymes, directs the pineal gland, plays Iago to your psyche. As with heroin, the antidote to Film is more Film." - Frank Capra

BOOM! 2 for 2 seen AND 2 for 2 from my ballot!

D.O.A. is an interesting who-dunit with a killer opening. It has a solid cast, Maté's direction is great, and I really like the twists and turns the film takes. It was my #24.

Kansas City Confidential was my #25! I didn't think it would get enough votes, but here we are. Here's something I wrote when I first saw it years ago:

Overall, a pretty cool and slick film.


SEEN: 8/48
MY BALLOT: 4/25

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Kansas City Confidential is my #17. My thoughts:

I have yet to see a bad movie that uses the "team of criminals who don't know each other" trope and this one is no exception. This one's a little different in that one of the team members didn't know he signed up to commit a crime! John Payne plays wronged flower delivery man Joe, and how well he conveys frustration at being an unwitting accomplice and a desire for justice keeps things tense until the end. That Joe is an awarded war veteran adds welcome historical significance and puts it into "true film noir" territory, if you will. My favorite line, which Joe says when someone mentions his medals, is "try and buy a cup of coffee with them." The use of '50s witticisms like this one and slang keep things fun, as do the rest of the performances, and this isn't the movie's fault, but I wish I recognized some of the actors (Lee Van Cleef is in this, but in his "Italian face," he's barely recognizable). Also, as is typical of movies like this, the conclusion threw me for a loop and in a good way for how the surprise makes sense and doesn't come out of left field. It's not perfect: the fights are kind of bloodless - I spotted a few Sonny Corleone-style phantom punches - and its depiction of Mexicans make Speedy Gonzalez seem PC, but it lives up to the intrigue that its title promises.

Oh, and you can watch it at a lot of places and for free. Thank goodness for the public domain.

Seen and liked both, but neither made my ballot.

Seen: 44/48

Excellent, classic Film-Noir with a terrific cast and tense plot. Also high on my all time heist films list.
Kansas City Confidential was my #20.

SEEN 18/48
BALLOT 4/25

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Some notes about the list so far...

• The 3 points gap between D.O.A. and yesterday's They Live by Night is the second biggest so far. Like I just said at the neo-noir thread, most of it so far has been pretty tight with lots of ties and 1 or 2 points gaps. But as expected, as we go further, the spread gets bigger.
• Yesterday's Niagara has one of the lowest IMDb scores of the countdown so far at 7.0; tied with Fallen Angel and He Walked by Night.

Yes! another from my ballot...I had Kansas City Confidential as my #17. It's been awhile since I seen this well crafted noir but I never forget the lovely Coleen Gray!

The film takes us to four different 'worlds'. Each interesting to see: I liked the crime set up and the actual job part. I liked even more the time in the police station when the cops rough up poor John Payne. But I really liked the time in Mexico, both when he's on the tail of Jack Elam (who was great in this) and finally when they all meet up in a sleepy Mexican fishing village. I like the ending too and how the story wrapped up.

Kansas City Confidential is gritty and gripping with a lot of interesting scenes and characters.
+

Haven't seen either film.

2 for 2. I was late in watching D.O.A. but I can see why it enjoys the reputation it does. O'Brien's energetic, all-in performance. Some very interesting supporting roles like Neville Brand as a loony tunes gunsel. And enough quirky touches to make it a guaranteed good time.

Kansas City Confidential (my #20 pick) is also a pretty entertaining watch. I mostly knew John Payne from Miracle on 34th Street but he does a good job here as the wrongly accused man going after the gang of armored car robbers played by Lee Van Cleef, Jack Elam and (once again) Neville Brand.

That makes four of my picks accounted for.
#6 Mystery Street (#93)
#20 Kansas City Confidential (#53)
#21 Where the Sidewalk Ends (#66)
#22 Too Late for Tears (#81)

23 of 48 seen.

Our first movie co-starring Los Angeles' famous The Bradbury Building!

Surely to be seen again later!

In both countdowns.

Seen neither, D.O.A. was on my shortlist of movies to watch for this countdown, but didn't get to it. I can't remember if Kansas City Confidential was. Not ringing a bell.

A cruel and unusual punishment. I think I'd ask for 2 months and drop the noir.

I know it was a good few days ago now, but the 80's The Hitcher is, essensitally, The Door's 'Riders On The Storm'.

I've been away from this place for a week and nothing appears... Until yesterday... And then again today. I had Niagara and D.O.A on my list at #5 and #13 respectively.

D.O.A. just has a really good premise, it kind of feels like Double Indemnity in that we know how it ends, just not how it gets there. The rest is a pretty short thrill ride as we're told through flashback the past few (and last) days of our narrator.

I thought Niagara was glorious in every way possible. I've not seen it in 20+ years but I always think of it fondly and with great beauty. It's the kind of cinema you could just look at but, unlike some others I could mention, I still get feeling from it.

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5-time MoFo Award winner.

D.O.A. is my #1!


I saw it as a young movie lover and thought it was the coolest idea for a movie. I was under ten and the gimmick of a poisoned man looking for his killer as he waits to die blew my tiny mind.


Kansas City Confidential is not on my list. I may or may not have seen it

I'VE SEEN 1 OUT OF 48!

D.O.A. is my #25!

We did it, Adrian!

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I think we're all very proud of you. I know I am.

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