Kiss Tomorrow Goodbye (1950)

Very very predictable, including the post credit scene !!!

Very disappointing...

Absolutely the worst movie.

The film creates a perfect balance between action and depth of basic needs, in the midst of an infertile atmosphere.

As far as early-1950's Crime/Thrillers go, Kiss Tomorrow Goodbye (KTG, for short) was definitely something of a major let-down.This film, which starred veteran actor James Cagney (who at 51 was clearly too old and too tired-looking for his part), had the distinctive feel of being a "quickie" written all over it.And, speaking about James Cagney, I think (in his latter years) that he made for a mighty poor leading man. And here in KTG the viewer was expected to believe that this 5' 6" pipsqueak was a real lady-killer who was able to juggle, not one, but 2 hot, young babes (who were both bitterly jealous of each other) at one time.I mean, c'mon, this "lover-boy" business was just too unconvincing for words, especially since Cagney's character was such an unlikable, little bully with a huge chip on his shoulder to begin with.KTG's story was primarily a courtroom drama where each of the characters got their chance to recall (in extended flashbacks) their involvement in a payroll caper. This predictable, little tale featured the usual line-up of crooked cops, slimy lawyers and, yes (get this!), even newlyweds who slept in separate beds.My advice would be to pass on this dud. With there obviously being so many superior films from that era to chose from, there's no point in one wasting their time watching something as mediocre as this.

Kiss Tomorrow Goodbye is directed by Gordon Douglas and adapted to screenplay by Harry Brown from the novel by Horace McCoy. It stars James Cagney, Barbara Payton, Helena Carter, Ward Bond, Luther Adler and Steve Brodie. Music is by Carmen Dragon and photography by J. Peverell Marley. Ralph Cotter (Cagney), career criminal, escapes from prison and crudely murders his partner during the escape. Hooking up with Holiday Carleton (Payton), the oblivious sister of the slain partner, Cotter quickly gets back into a life of crime and violence. But will his evil deed stay a secret? How long can he keep the corrupt coppers under wraps? And is his "other" romantic relationship with Margaret Dobson (Carter) doomed to failure? ……Kiss Tomorrow Goodbye, it seems to have been lost in the slipstream of White Heat that was released the previous year. An undoubted classic of the gangster/crime genre, and featuring one of Cagney's greatest acting performances, White Heat has unsurprisingly dwarfed many a poor genre entry. However, while it doesn't equal the searing ferocity of White Heat, both in tone and character performance by Cagney, Kiss Tomorrow Goodbye is a seriously hard movie. Energetic from the off, film is often brutal and cynical and awash with potently memorable scenes, with some deemed as being too much, resulting in the film being banned from theatres in Ohio! Female or a cripple, it matters not to the menacing force of nature that is Ralph Cotter. Gordon Douglas was a multi genre director, unfussy and able to keep things taut, he gets some super performances from the cast while never letting the pace drag. Cagney is a given, give him this sort of character and let him run with it, in fact it is arguably a detriment to the film as a whole, that it can't match Cagney's blood and thunder show? But Bond (big bad corrupt copper), Brodie (Cotter side-kick) and Adler (shifty lawyer) do shine through with imposing turns. Of much interest is the dual lady characters in Cotter's life. Both very different from each other, this gives the film a double whammy of femme fatales in waiting. Payton takes the honours, in what is the best written part in the film. Her Holiday Carleton is a good girl drawn in to a murky life by a bad man, while Carter as bored rich girl Margaret Dobson is the polar opposite, she likes fast cars and dangerous men, allowing the actress to deftly sidle in with impact in the smaller role. Photography isn't out of the ordinary, and the music is standard boom and bluster for a crime picture. But this is about Cagney's performance and the grim thematics contained within, and much like Ralph Cotter, it doesn't pull its punches. Finally sealing the deal with an ending that firmly pulls the movie into the film noir universe. 8/10

Gangster Cotter escapes prison and schemes his way into city underworld, leaving trail of broken bodies and broken hearts behind.Cagney's pushing 50, but you'd never know it from the energy level. Ever the human dynamo, he's dishing it out to both the competition and the dames. True, it's a stretch when old man Dobson calls Cotter (Cagney) "young man", but you hardly notice. This is the legend's final gangster film. It may not be the best, still it is fast, tough, and unsentimental. Once again, Cagney's the outlaw entrepreneur working his way up the money ladder with little more than guts, wits, and a .45 (automatic, please). Along the way, he corrals two crooked cops, a shady lawyer, a double-crossing garageman, and notorious Hollywood bad girl Barbara Payton. Looks like everybody's got an angle of some kind, just the types Cotter can subordinate to his relentless drive. The ending is really ironic when you think about it. This is a stone-cold movie. Hardly anyone's likable, least of all Cotter. His cocksure ambition fascinates even as it repels. Only a secure-in-his-skin actor like Cagney would risk a role as unsympathetic as this.I wish IMDb had more on screenwriter Harry Brown (not Harry Joe Brown of the Ranown cycle of Westerns). This Harry Brown did a number of high quality screenplays (A Place in the Sun; Ocean's Eleven et al.), including the one here. Director Douglas manages several nice touches, such as the true believer at the phony psychic session. Note, however, that the quarry killings are not shown, at least in the version I've seen. In fact, showing that may have pushed the producers over the censorship line.All in all, it's a worthy slice of thick ear for gangster Cagney to go out on, especially that last scene with it's great title line.

"Kiss Tomorrow Goodbye" is a violent thriller which simply exudes energy. Its story is told at an exhilarating pace, James Cagney gives a superb high octane performance and the character he depicts is an incredibly driven psychopath who pursues his own agenda with an extraordinary sense of purpose and determination.Ralph Cotter (Cagney) is a real force of nature and his actions have a powerful effect on everyone he encounters. He's completely oblivious to the rule of law and totally cynical in his attitude to other people. Amusingly, the fact that the other characters in the story are nearly all corrupt seems in a perverse way, to almost vindicate his attitude towards them.Cotter is a vicious criminal who together with another convict, escapes from a prison farm. When his accomplice is injured, Cotter shoots him in the head without any hesitation or compunction to ensure that his own chance of freedom isn't jeopardised. As planned, a car is waiting for him and accompanying the driver, Jinx Raynor (Steve Brodie) is the dead man's sister Holiday Carleton (Barbara Paynton). During the exchanges of gunfire that follow, Holiday shoots a prison guard and later Cotter tells his co-conspirators that Holiday's brother was killed by one of the guards. Holiday clearly dislikes Cotter initially but after an incident where he smacks her around the head with some towels, her demeanour changes and she starts to become attracted to him and agrees to him staying at her apartment.Cotter and Raynor carry out a robbery and are subsequently traced by two corrupt police officers who relieve them of some money and order Cotter to leave town. Cotter later records an incriminating conversation involving the two policemen and with the assistance of a shady lawyer, turns the tables on them.Cotter then gets involved with another woman, the daughter of a wealthy businessman and after the couple get married and jealous Holiday discovers who killed her brother, Cotter's problems start to escalate alarmingly.Holiday's relationship with Cotter has an unhealthy dimension as can be seen on a couple of occasions when she responds positively to him following violent incidents. Cotter on the other hand is able to get his way by using both brutality and cunning. When necessary he uses coercion to get Holiday to fall into line with his wishes and again uses plenty of guile in order to get the upper hand with the corrupt cops."Kiss Tomorrow Goodbye" is a very good movie in which James Cagney is at his brilliant best and the supporting cast all contribute fine and effective performances.