SparkMore n my opinion it was a great movie with some interesting elements, even though having some plot holes and the ending probably was just too messy and crammed together, but still fun to watch and not your casual movie that is similar to all other ones.

Kidskycom It's funny watching the elements come together in this complicated scam. On one hand, the set-up isn't quite as complex as it seems, but there's an easy sense of fun in every exchange.

Fairaher The film makes a home in your brain and the only cure is to see it again.

Mehdi Hoffman There's a more than satisfactory amount of boom-boom in the movie's trim running time.

evanston_dad You can practically hear Susan Hayward begging for an Oscar in every frame of "I Want to Live!", but strong direction by Robert Wise and a frank approach to tough subject matter makes for a powerful and unsettling movie despite Hayward's histrionics.Hayward plays Barbara Graham, a woman who (according to the movie) was wrongfully accused of participating in a murder and was sent to the gas chamber despite numerous appeals. The filmmakers don't think she received a fair trial, and everyone involved works over time to make us sympathize with Graham as a victim of an uncaring society. Hayward can't control herself and plays the character like she's Joan of Arc. The Academy, never one to embrace subtlety, dutifully gave her an Oscar for her efforts.But the thing is, this movie is disturbing no matter whether or not Graham was guilty. Capital punishment is disturbing even if you believe people deserve it, and the last third of the movie, which depicts in agonizing detail what it's like for someone on death row waiting to be marched to their doom, is deeply unsettling. Hayward won the film's only Oscar, but it also received nominations for director Robert Wise, Best Adapted Screenplay, Best Black & White Cinematography, Best Film Editing, and Best Sound.Grade: A

gavin6942 Barbara Graham (1923-1955) is a woman with dubious moral standards, often a guest in seedy bars. She has been sentenced for some petty crimes. Two men she knows murder an older woman. When they get caught they start to think that Barbara has helped the police to arrest them. As revenge they tell the police that Barbara is the murderer.I was not familiar with the Barbara Graham case. I suppose I should say I am still not, at least not enough to compare the film to reality. So on that count, I have no opinion.But as a film in itself, this is great work. I can see the Oscar award was well-deserved. What I liked best, in fact, was how Graham was portrayed not necessarily as sympathetic. Innocent or not, she is coarse and rough around the edges. I appreciate they didn't make her seem too nice.

russellalancampbell There is little that I could add to the other reviews and, if you read them, most will attest to the power of "I Want to Live". This is a jarring, harrowing film from the acting to the jazz score. It is brutally honest in its sordid and ugly depictions of the seedier side of American life - the lowlifes, junkies, "goodtime girls", small-time crims and even a family man taking a walk on the wild side in the opening scene. The preparations and procedures related to capital punishment are even more chillingly depicted than those of "In Cold Blood". The camera angles and the jazz score add to the uncomfortable and off-kilter events of this other world that most of us know about and sometimes visit but do not inhabit. Lastly, Susan Hayward's performance is shattering. "I Want to Live" is a once seen never forgotten experience.

SnoopyStyle Barbara Graham (Susan Hayward) is an aged lying grifter prostitute. She's been in and out of jail. She willingly perjures herself for two cohorts and gets a year in prison. She is released to probation and joins two con-men. She tries for a family but her husband turns into a drug addict. The cops follow her and arrests her, Emmett Perkins and John R. Santo. She's arrested for passing bad cheques among many charges. The men throw her under the bus and claim she's the murderer. She becomes a media sensation and maintains her innocence throughout.Hayward is terrific as a ballsy broad. She's not an innocent naive character although the movie portray her as innocent of the murder. The media sensation adds another layer to the movie. It is a bit hard to root for the character but Hayward makes the movie work. She gets to do some juicy acting as she prepares to be executed.