This blog entry is part of my "movie year countdown round #2". Read more about that here.
The Postman Always Rings Twice
The name is well known in the film noir-genre. But the film has nothing to do with the actual title except for a little metaphor that is unleashed right at the end of the film, a metaphor that is apparently never even mentioned in the original novel and probably could have been better for the situation. But the name is memorable and now iconic, so I won't argue with it too much.
The film is just a little short of two hours but feels pretty long and sprawling. Sometimes in a good way, sometimes a tedious way. Actually I found the film to be pretty tedious for most of the beginning. Lana Turner was more annoying than seductive to me at first, but something about her allured me more and more as it went. However, as soon as the courtroom drama began, I was much more involved. This is probably largely due to actor Hume Cronyn who suddenly appears and steals the show in my opinion. Too bad I just wasn't roped into John Garfield's performance too much, despite the fact that this is the first film I've seen with the famous actor.
Rating: 7/10