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Dead End

Dead End

Crime · Drama · 1937

The lives of a young man and woman, an infamous gangster and a group of street kids converge one day in a volatile New York City slum.

Movie details

Dead End

“THE GREATEST GANGSTER THRILLER THAT EVER EXPLODED FROM THE SCREEN!”

1937 Crime · Drama 1h 33m

Critical arithmetic

One number, for now.

TMDB

7.0 / 10

Community rating

The lives of a young man and woman, an infamous gangster and a group of street kids converge one day in a volatile New York City slum.

CriticWise case file

What this film says about your taste.

Not a recommendation score. A measure of how closely the film’s taste signals resemble yours.

The archetype split

Who fights over Dead End?

The split comes from the same five-axis model used by the test, not audience ratings or review sentiment.

Taste neighbourhood

Nearby on the taste map.

TMDB supplies the candidates. CriticWise reorders them by craft, strangeness, prestige, emotion, and pace.

Plunder Road

Plunder Road

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The Public Enemy

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Two young Chicago hoodlums, Tom Powers and Matt Doyle, rise up from their poverty-stricken slum life to become petty thieves, bootleggers and cold-blooded killers. But with street notoriety and newfound wealth, the duo feels the heat from the cops and rival gangsters both. Despite his ruthless criminal reputation, Tom tries to remain connected to his family, however, gang warfare and the need for revenge eventually pull him away.

Angels with Dirty Faces

Angels with Dirty Faces

Crime · 1938

Childhood chums Rocky Sullivan and Jerry Connelly grow up on opposite sides of the fence: Rocky matures into a prominent gangster, while Jerry becomes a priest, tending to the needs of his old tenement neighborhood.

Scarlet Street

Scarlet Street

Drama · 1945

Cashier and part-time starving artist Christopher Cross is absolutely smitten with the beautiful Kitty March. Kitty plays along, but she's really only interested in Johnny, a two-bit crook. When Kitty and Johnny find out that art dealers are interested in Chris's work, they con him into letting Kitty take credit for the paintings. Cross allows it because he is in love with Kitty, but his love will only let her get away with so much.

The Fastest Gun Alive

The Fastest Gun Alive

Drama · 1956

Whenever it becomes known how good he is with guns, ex-gunman George and his wife Dora have to flee the town, in fear of all the gunmen who might want to challenge him. Unfortunately he again spills his secret when he's drunk. All citizens swear to keep his secret and support him to give up his guns forever -- but a boy tells the story to a gang of wanted criminals. Their leader threatens to burn down the whole town, if he doesn't duel him.

Knock on Any Door

Knock on Any Door

Drama · 1949

An attorney defends a hoodlum of murder, using the oppressiveness of the slums to appeal to the court.

Glengarry Glen Ross

Glengarry Glen Ross

Crime · 1992

An examination of the machinations behind the scenes at a real estate office. Unscrupulous salesmen try to hawk dubious real estate to suckers.

House of Bamboo

House of Bamboo

Crime · 1955

Eddie Kenner is given a special assignment by the Army to get the inside story on Sandy Dawson, a former GI who has formed a gang of fellow servicemen and Japanese locals.

Odds Against Tomorrow

Odds Against Tomorrow

Crime · 1959

An old-time crook plans a heist. When one of his two partners is found out to be a black man tensions flare.

Each Dawn I Die

Each Dawn I Die

Crime · 1939

A corrupt D.A. with governatorial ambitions is annoyed by an investigative reporter's criticism of his criminal activities and decides to frame the reporter for manslaughter in order to silence him.

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Names above the title

The people responsible.

Directed by

William Wyler

Written by

Lillian Hellman

Sylvia Sidney

Sylvia Sidney

Drina

Joel McCrea

Joel McCrea

Dave

Humphrey Bogart

Humphrey Bogart

"Baby Face" Martin

Wendy Barrie

Wendy Barrie

Kay

Claire Trevor

Claire Trevor

Francey

Allen Jenkins

Allen Jenkins

Hunk

Marjorie Main

Marjorie Main

Mrs. Martin

Court is in session

Put Dead End on trial.

Two incompatible taste archetypes. One film. Read the arguments, then issue a completely binding cultural ruling.

The defence The Auteur Devotee

“Form is the argument.”

Every composed frame and deliberate cut is evidence that control can be thrilling in its own right.

The prosecution The Popcorn Loyalist

“Technique in search of a pulse.”

Immaculate construction is still construction. The film may be too busy proving its craft to feel alive.