Smartorhypo Highly Overrated But Still Good

Stevecorp Don't listen to the negative reviews

ChicDragon It's a mild crowd pleaser for people who are exhausted by blockbusters.

Aedonerre I gave this film a 9 out of 10, because it was exactly what I expected it to be.

blue_agate11 I'm a big Bogart fan. When I first saw this movie it was so different from his many other movie roles either a gangster type or a PI/Cop that it was something new for me. I loved this movie. You really wind up rooting for him and the paper to make it. It is so disappointing to note that this movie is not available on VHS or DVD. Hint hint to anyone out there that decides on what to release to the viewing public this movie would sell well! I know I would buy it for my collection. This movie ranks right up there with the likes of All The Presidents Men, The Front Page, Citizen Kane and even Friendly Fire (another good movie to catch if you want to see a young Sam Waterson playing the investigative reporter) and the Onion Field.

MartinHafer Towards the end of his wonderful career, Humphrey Bogart continued making great films. Consider THE CAINE MUTINY, THE DESPERATE HOURS, African QUEEN, THE HARDER THEY FALL as well as this film--all first-rate films with an older yet still exciting Bogart at the helm. Sure, there were a few disappointments here and there (SIROCCO and BATTLE CIRCUS come to mind), but the Bogart of the 1950s was every bit as exciting to watch as he'd ever been. In fact because Bogey often played a less glamorous and less macho characters in these films, he was quite believable and showed he was a darn fine actor.Here we see Bogart as the head of a newspaper that is about to be sold by the family that owns it. It seems the sleazy and more sensationalistic rival paper wants to buy it just to shut it down. The commentary on the sensationalistic "if it bleeds, it leads" style of reporting is just as timely then as it is now. But Bogey doesn't want to give up without a fight and refuses to just finish up his tenure with a whimper--choosing instead to pull out all the stops to "get the goods" on a local mobster who, up until that point, has been untouchable.The film abounds with great performances, such as Ethel Barrymore's, Martin Gabel and Warren Stevens'--and of course Humphrey Bogart's. Additionally, the cast was blessed by having an excellent script that had a lot of depth as well as something to say. Sure, there were a few times it seemed a tad over-idealistic, but for the most part it was solid and exciting. In fact, I have no criticism of the film, as it was dandy entertainment and I sure wish they made them like this today. Give it a look--you won't be sorry.

barrymn1 Richard Brooks wrote and directed this amazing film about the death of a quality newspaper. The detail about it's day-to-day workings are fascinating.Besides Bogart, in one of his very best roles, you get to see why Ethel Barrymore was considered one of the greatest actresses of the Twentieth Century. She's marvelous here.The supporting cast is really strong, but I have single out both Ed Begley and Jim Backus. Begley usually played mean types; here he's playing a honest, hardworking assistant to Bogart and he's really good.Most people don't know how good an actor Backus was. His performance here, as well as is in "Pat & Mike" show that he really had the chops to pull off a dramatic role, although both characters have their light side.The only that bogs down the film is Kim Hunter as Bogart's ex-wife and "love interest". She's a great actress, but she way too youthful for this part and after her performance in "Streetcar", this seemed a bit phoned-in. It's not Hunter's fault....it's the part.This is one of the remaining major Bogart films that have not yet come out on DVD, and it would certainly be appropriate for Fox to get with it.

Gavno Have you noticed that almost all of Bogie's very BEST and most gritty performances were when he played characters that were dedicated to a noble cause? Rick Blain in CASABLANCA goes without saying... even tho Rick doesn't admit until the end that he IS dedicated to ANY cause.Charlie Allnut in THE African QUEEN once again became dedicated (at the insistence of Kate Hepburn) to the cause of sinking the Louisa.Tho his cause was a twisted one born of psychosis, Lt. Commander Philip Francis Queeg was utterly committed to the cause of making the USS Caine acceptable to his impossible standard of perfection.In his last film THE HARDER THEY FALL we again see the cynical, world weary Bogie who seems to be part of the problem, but who in the end lets his conscience and character win out; he does what he sees as RIGHT, no matter what the personal cost.Even in his most underrated performances in the cheap, throwaway films like BATTLE CIRCUS, Bogie was at his hard boiled best as a dedicated MASH surgeon. Alan Alda probably took a lot of his character Hawkeye from Bogie's performance.Playing the crusading newspaper editor Ed Hutchinson in DEADLINE USA Bogie gives us a tour de force performance, clothed in the utter, incorruptible purity of an honest man who is fighting naked evil in the form of corruption by a gang boss who controls a city's underworld... as well as some of it's most prominent public institutions.In this one I'm strongly reminded of Jimmy Stewart's hard boiled, cynical reporter in CALL NORTHSIDE 777; Stewart was another actor who really got his teeth into a part where he was on a crusade of some sort.Bogie hated phony movie tough guys, but oddly he came off as one in a lot of non-gangster roles; his demeanor was so imposing that without violence he could radiate strength and integrity... along with a world weary cynicism that made him seem all the more powerful. In DEADLINE USA we get it FULL STRENGTH and undiluted as he opposes Tomas Rienzi. Violence directed AT him makes him appear all the stronger; the sequence in Rienzi's car where Bogie gets struck across the face with the newspaper shows it; Hutchinson never even flinches at the blow. He only smiles and sneers "THAT'S the Rienzi I like to see".Bogie's at his BEST in the final scene in the press room... there's BEAUTY in the utterly cynical contempt in his voice as he answers Rienzi's phone call with "Hello Baby..." . We KNOW that Bogie has all the cards in his hand now, and Rienzi's threats are meaningless when Bogie says "That's the PRESS, Baby, the PRESS... and there's NOTHING you can do about it. Nothing". That line makes us want to stand up and CHEER... no matter what may happen to Bogie, he's left us a gift. Right has triumphed.This is one of his BEST films. It's a great example of why Humphrey Bogart is still, 50 years after his death, one of Hollywood's brightest shining stars.