3/30/19 D.O.A.

Post date: Mar 31, 2019 2:48:54 PM

The 1949 D.O.A. is an interesting B-movie. It does not fit nicely into the film Noir type. A guy who is used to being single goes to San Francisco to figure out whether he wants to commit to marriage. He finds out that he has been poisoned and only has a day or so to live. He spends his time trying to find out who murdered him and why. What I like about this movie is that the main character is a regular guy. But the fact that he considers himself already dead, he acts in a way out of social norms. He burst in on people, he threatens them, and doesn't get pushed around by the usual thugs.

One of the elements of film Noir is the element of fate, Nothing can be changed. In DOA, even though the main character is going to die, he feels in charge of his own destiny to find the murder. Also there is the moral message. If he didn't question the path to marriage and kids, he wouldn't have gone to San Franciso and would not have been killed.