Edmund O'Brien is a CPA who decides to get away to San Francisco for a weekend to sow some wild oats (and also to get away from his secretary who's nagging him to marry her). There he's poisoned and told he has only a few days to live; he tries to find out who poisoned him and why. The trail takes him into a world of corruption and double dealing. Following this trail is a bit confusing for O'Brien and the audience. But the picture is tightly directed and well acted. A highly regarded film-noir entry, and rightly so. Worth a watch.

As Socrates once said "I drank what?"

Frank Bigelow (Edmond O'Brien, you may remember him as Winston Smith in `1984' 1956) realizes after he had a one night fling that he does not feel so good. He feels bad enough to see a doctor. Yep he is D.O.A. (Dead On Arrival) as he has been poisoned and only has a little time left to live.

Obsessed with finding out who did it and why, Frank has to reconstruct his wild night. Will he find out in time? If so what then?

This film has all the classic Noir elements, a character caught in a situation they can't control, unseen enemies and dangers, femme fatale, money, murder, sex, love, no happy endings. And throughout all this, in my opinion, one of the finest peformances by an actor ever caught on film. Edmond O'Brien goes through the emotional roller coster of this role without ever stopping to take a breath. He will have you gasping for your breath up until the last frame. Once the credits start to roll, you will be just as exhausted after having gone on this ride. Then you will know you just watched a masterpiece of what is called Film Noir. It just doesn't get any better than this.

I was loaned a two-film box set, D.O.A. and DIABOLIQUE, and my interest was initially on DIABOLIQUE. Ah, but D.O.A. was the hidden treasure.


From the opening sequence, where Edmond O'Brien strides into the homicide division at a police headquarters, to report that he has been murdered, this film had my attention. No slow spots, no wasted footage. Everything is a piece of the jigsaw puzzle, but no one knows what picture is on that puzzle. O'Brien's character had fled the boredom of his small-town life and job as a CPA, to have fun in the big city of San Francisco. And, promptly gets poisoned irreversibly. He recounts his weekend to the police, so that they will know what happened to him, what he did in response, and who was responsible. The entire weekend was a mad rush -- first to find some light-hearted fun, and then to figure out the complex set of events that led up to his being poisoned.


If a book is a can't-put-it-down page-turner, what's the movie equivalent? Watch-it-to-the-end and don't-hit-pause-or-stop!

The concept of a murder victim who functions as his own detective, gives to D.O.A. a unique point of view and also gives it a major status.
The inspiration for D.O.A. comes from a 1931 german film entitled Der mann, der seinen morder sucht, directed by Robert Siodmak (The dark mirror).
People manipulated by forces they are unable to control and comprenhend; that's a another important component of the film noir's profile.
This film, altogether with Kiss me deadly (Robert Aldrich, 1955) are the best exponents in remarking this point, because also establish a crossroad about the unknown consequences derivated from the technology.
Don't miss this weird story; an unvaluable gem and also well done film of Rudolf Mate.
Edmond O' Brien is top-notch.