Rent Kiss Tomorrow Goodbye (1950)

Cracking - Kiss Tomorrow Goodbye review by sb

FILM & REVIEW Cracking Jimmy Cagney movie which opens with the classic noir trope of a courtroom with 7 defendants - 2 are charged with murder and 5 with conspiracy. But there should be an eighth - Cagney’s Ralph Cotter who previously has escaped from prison with his ?buddy - the buddy gets wounded and to stop him talking Cotter finishes the job. In this they are assisted by his buddy’s sister Holiday (Payton) who not only doesn’t know what happened but shoots a guard dead. Cotter exploits her vulnerability and soon moves in. With other accomplices he robs a local supermarket but gets betrayed to the cops lead by Weber (Ward Bond) but he doesn’t want the pinch - he is after the money. After Cotter sets him up with a secret voice recording they become uneasy partners in crime and plan an even larger caper. In the meantime Cotter woos the daughter of the towns richest man which Holiday finds out about and this linked with his ever increasing hubris will only have one conclusion. Cagney is superb - all suave charm hiding a vicious propensity to brutal violence with a good solid supporting cast. It’s quite amoral for it’s time and was banned in several states for for that very reason - but it’s a real cracker of a movie - 4/5