A calculating divorcée risks her chances at wealth and security with a man she doesn't love by getting involved with the hotheaded murderer romancing her foster sister.A calculating divorcée risks her chances at wealth and security with a man she doesn't love by getting involved with the hotheaded murderer romancing her foster sister.A calculating divorcée risks her chances at wealth and security with a man she doesn't love by getting involved with the hotheaded murderer romancing her foster sister.
- Maitre d'Hotel
- (uncredited)
- Gambler at Roulette Table
- (uncredited)
- Sally
- (uncredited)
- Club Patron
- (uncredited)
- Wedding Guest
- (uncredited)
- Second Maid
- (uncredited)
- Gambler
- (uncredited)
- Director
- Writers
- All cast & crew
- Production, box office & more at IMDbPro
Storyline
Did you know
- TriviaThis film did poorly at the box office, resulting in a loss of $243,000 (over $3.45M in 2024) for RKO according to studio records.
- GoofsThey took a train from Reno, Nevada to San Francisco, California, but the shot of the train coming at the camera head-on is a Pennsylvania Railroad streamlined K4 locomotive on their four-track mainline in Pennsylvania.
- Quotes
Delivery Boy: My, that coffee smells good. Ain't it funny how coffee never tastes as good as it smells?
Albert Arnett: As you grow older, you'll discover that life is very much like coffee: the aroma is always better than the actuality. May that be your thought for the day.
- Alternate versionsThere is an Italian edition of this film on DVD, distributed by DNA Srl: "MARLOWE: MURDER, MY SWEET (L'ombra del passato, 1944) + PERFIDO INGANNO (1947)" (2 Films on a single DVD), re-edited with the contribution of film historian Riccardo Cusin. This version is also available for streaming on some platforms.
- ConnectionsEdited into The Green Fog (2017)
- SoundtracksI Haven't a Thing to Wear
(uncredited)
Music by Harry Revel
Tune on the radio when Helen discovers the bodies
"Has it occurred to you, neither of us looks like a scoundrel, do we?"
The smart, cutting lead female in this crime noir, Helen, played by Claire Trevor, is enough alone to make Born to Kill rise above. She's educated and calculating, far from the gutter but not at home with mere elegance and wealth, the things she's been trying to corner. The story is hers, luckily, because she's ultimately admirable, whatever her moral milkiness.
The whole thing starts with a shock, and then with a disturbing calm where all the pieces refuse to fit together. The lead male, Sam, played by Lawrence Tierney, is a ruthless, violent man with all the elegance and brains of a half-track. He's a perfect problem for Helen, and the movie only compounds and coils around a plot that never falters, whatever its complications. The detective (Walter Slezak) is too perfect in his delicate selfishness, and good old Elisha Cook Jr. is a surprising, and also perfect, good guy with too much tolerance due to his large heart.
It isn't a surprise that a good script and some talented actors are put together with such smart, fast panache by a young Robert Wise, more famous for little tidbits like West Side Story and Sound of Music. It ends up taking some astonishing twists, and some liberties with location shooting that are fabulous for 1947.
After all is said in done we are back with Claire Trevor's performance, which is large and nuanced, and very convincing. It's a good thing she has a lot to work with. A great film. Even the third time.
- secondtake
- Dec 7, 2009
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Details
- Release date
- Country of origin
- Languages
- Also known as
- Deadlier Than the Male
- Filming locations
- Washoe County Courthouse - 117 South Virginia Street, Reno, Nevada, USA(Helen says "goodbye" to her divorce lawyer on courthouse steps at start of film)
- Production company
- See more company credits at IMDbPro
- Runtime1 hour 32 minutes
- Color
- Aspect ratio
- 1.37 : 1