Radio review – LT – “Kiss of Death” (1948) ***1/2

This film ranked with My Darling Clementine as perhaps Victor Mature’s finest achievement in the cinema (although when you look back, Mature actually made a few decent films). It’s a pretty good noir and the adaptation is highly enjoyable. Brian Donlevy isn’t back but you probably forgot he was in the film anyway; Colleen Grey and Richard Widmark return with Mature. Widmark gets to giggle but he doesn’t throw any little old ladies down stairs. The finale is a little silly with Mature taking a very risk strategy of getting Widmark to shoot him. I do like how the story shows the cops to be very ruthless.