Review of The Man with the Golden Arm (1955) by Edith N — 08 May 2011

Frank Sinatra helms a cast of some of the nastiest self-serving bums, bastards and burnouts you'll ever come across. As the recently-detoxed card dealer Frankie, Sinatra walks from rehab straight back into the belly of the beast, flaunting his sparkling new outlook on life before a block full of characters who know better than to trust any style of clean living will last long.

At its core, this is a damning glimpse into the coal-black heart of addiction and withdrawal that doesn't limit itself strictly to drug use. While the most striking scenes are undoubtedly zoned in on Frankie's habit, particularly the brutal cold turkey scenes near the finale, in the supporting cast there's an equally poignant message about the similarities you'll find in the overuse of any intoxicating experience, whether it be heroin, gambling or love itself.

An impressively fresh, open-minded picture that's less concerned with painting the drugs themselves in a poor light than it is the weak-willed men and women who overuse them. My only major complaint is that it could've used a bit of fat-trimming, as its run time is a bit on the long side.