Small-time hood Nick Bianco (Victor Mature) is sent up the river for a jewel heist. He refuses to cooperate with the D. A. and will not turn stool-pigeon on his pals. But after he learns of his wife's suicide, he changes his tune. He's got to get out of jail to take care of his two little girls. The D. A. agrees to help Bianco if, in return, Bianco will help the D. A. Bianco fingers Tommy Udo (Richard Widmark) for a murder and even agrees to testify at the trial. But, when Udo is acquitted, Bianco knows he's a marked man - as are his new wife and his young daughters.

Kiss of Death is a solid entry in the crime/noir cycle of the 40s. The movie looks good, has some great acting, an intelligent plot, characters you can care about, and enough twists to make it all very interesting. But instead of writing at length about the acting or technical aspects of the film or plot twists or anything else, I'll limit this to a few comments on Richard Widmark. If you look over Widmark's filmography, you'll notice that Kiss of Death was his very first film. Now I haven't seen everything Widmark made, but based on what I have seen, his portrayal of Tommy Udo has to be the performance of a career. He's brilliant as Udo. You can see the evil in his eyes. He's the kind of guy who would just as soon put a bullet in you as look at you. And that maniacal laugh - it's nothing short of chilling. This is not meant to be hyperbole when I say that he's the quintessential 40s hood played to perfection. I've seen a lot of noirs in recent weeks and I don't think I've seen a performance or character that I've enjoyed more than Widmark's Tommy Udo.

In the New York Christmas, the family man Nick Bianco (Victor Mature) has bad luck and criminal record, and can not find a honest job. He is caught in a jewelry heist, but he does not accept the proposal of the Assistant District Attorney Louis D'Angelo (Brian Donlevy) to be a squealer and denounce his accomplices and he goes to prison. Three years later, his depressed woman commits suicide and his two daughters are sent to an orphanage. Nick makes a deal with Mr. D'Ángelo and rats his former partners; then he marries Nettie (Collen Gray), moves to another to town with a new identity, where he finds a honest job. However, when the psychopathic killer Tommy Udo (Richard Widmark) is sentenced not-guilty in a trial where Nick was forced to testimony against the criminal, the desperate Nick uses one last attempt to save his family from the psychotic killer.

"Kiss of Death" is a powerful film-noir, with an engaging and credible plot, fantastic direction of Henry Hathaway and great performances of Victor Mature and Richard Widmark. Among the movies that I have watched of the great actor Richard Widmark, this is his best performance and he really deserved his nomination to the Oscar. His sadistic character is really a scary cold-blood killer. The black and white cinematography is amazing, with great use of shadows valorized by the image of the DVD. Karl Malden in the beginning of his successful career has a minor participation. My vote is eight.

Title (Brazil): "Beijo da Morte" ("Kiss of the Death")

Victor Mature had no illusions about his acting; when he was rejected for membership to a golf club because he was an actor, he said, "I'm no actor, and I've got 65 movies to prove it." However unpretentious he was, when he was cast in the right role, he came off well, as he does here in the noir "Kiss of Death." Mature plays Nick Bianco, a con who becomes a stool pigeon for the D.A. (Brian Donlevy) so that he can get a parole and retrieve his kids from an orphanage. He marries a friend of his late wife's (Coleen Gray) and uses another name so that his kids won't be tainted by his old criminal life. It all goes well until he has to testify in court against Tommy Udo. Then his life and that of his family are in grave danger.

"Kiss of Death" is notable for being the auspicious debut of Richard Widmark, and few actors have had such a powerful introduction to an audience. As the sadistic Tommy Udo, Widmark's raw laugh and smirk are chill-inducing. His famous scene - maybe the most famous scene of his career, as well as being a famous scene, period - occurs when he throws an old woman in her wheelchair down a flight of stairs. And laughs. A fantastic performance.

The beautiful Coleen Gray plays Nettie, Nick's wife. Despite her looks and good acting, Gray never achieved big stardom, though she had some excellent roles. I wonder if she just wouldn't play ball with Zanuck. Now 89, she is an attractive woman who continues to make public appearances, usually at screenings of the film "Nightmare Alley." Here she's perfect as a loving, worried woman. She also narrates.

Mature gives a solid performance as Nick -- he was really in his métier here and in films like "I Wake Up Screaming," though he graduated (or was demoted) to beefcake roles in period pictures later on. He had the physique but he wasn't a great actor and somehow, it was more apparent in those movies.

I feel very privileged to have met and spoken with Coleen Gray and to have heard the remarkable Richard Widmark speak in person, so I have an affection for this film. Even if I didn't, it's still good and well worth seeing.