Review of The Postman Always Rings Twice (1946) by Devon B — 06 Mar 2010
A film full of wicked people, ugly lawyers, and scheming lovers. Really, there's practically no one here who's sympathetic. It's the sort of story that could've been found in any crime magazine in the 40s and 50s.
A drifter (John Garfield) stumbles upon an old diner run by an old man (Cecil Kellaway) and his young, attractive wife (Lana Turner). Just as the old man is completely trusting of his new handyman and his wife, the two are sure to have an illicit affair.
But the film doesn't really get rolling until the sleezy lawyers make their way into the story. Hume Cronyn's character knowingly frees a pair of murderers for a measly 100 dollar bet. Like all the best films of the crime genre, we the audience are voyeurs into the lives and minds of criminals, and through the film, we vicariously commit acts we could never be allowed to get away with in real life.
When the criminals do get their just desserts in the end, we can sit back piously and thankfully say they get what they had coming.
This review of The Postman Always Rings Twice (1946) was written by Devon B on 06 Mar 2010.
The Postman Always Rings Twice has generally received very positive reviews.
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