Review of The Defiant Ones (1958) by Darwin K — 26 Nov 2011

After a prison caravan truck wrecks, two guys go on the run chained together at the wrist. Being a white man and a black man, the allegory of America's social problem with racism beats the audience over the head. Which would be obnoxious and boring in and of itself, if weren't written and performed so magically.

It's amazing to see how Tony Curtis can get his character lost in thought with a dream of what his free tomorrow might be. And just as easily that he can dismiss the absurdity of his negro compatriot's own fantasies. It doesn't occur to him that as escaped convicts that their in the same boat, because the reality is that they are NOT in the same boat.

The direction is a far cry from the skilled cinematographic eyes of much of 1950s output. Here, the camera is hand-held. Not jerky, but we still follow a lot of the action of running and escaping with the camera also on the lamb. Very French new wave feel and added to the tension during the moments when there wasn't dialogue. The soundtrack too was free of any score. What you hear is ambiance and sometimes radio music. Again, something adds a sense of realism to the scenes.

Cara Williams adds a great touch as a plot twist finds the cons taking over a single mother's house. It adds another fantastic scene where Curtis and her can share a common escapist dream, while still adding additional drama to main chase plot.

And as obviously as the racial metaphor kicks, it ends much more subtly. Clearly the antagonistic attitude that the pair have for each other are going to grow to the more camaraderie side once the two go through so much together. They're smiling and they're together and have pride in the work they put in.