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The Postman Always Rings Twice

The Postman Always Rings Twice

Drama · Romance · Crime · 1946

A married woman and a drifter fall in love, then plot to murder her husband.

Movie details

The Postman Always Rings Twice

“Their Love was a Flame that Destroyed!”

1946 Drama · Romance · Crime 1h 53m

Critical arithmetic

One number, for now.

TMDB

7.1 / 10

Community rating

A married woman and a drifter fall in love, then plot to murder her husband.

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 The Postman Always Rings Twice?

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.

Leave Her to Heaven

Leave Her to Heaven

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Notorious

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Romance · 1946

In order to help bring Nazis to justice, U.S. government agent T.R. Devlin recruits Alicia Huberman, the American daughter of a convicted German war criminal, as a spy. As they begin to fall for one another, Alicia is instructed to win the affections of Alexander Sebastian, a Nazi hiding out in Brazil. When Sebastian becomes serious about his relationship with Alicia, the stakes get higher, and Devlin must watch her slip further undercover.

Nightmare Alley

Nightmare Alley

Drama · 1947

A roustabout joins a traveling carny and schemes to figure out the mind-reading act of Mademoiselle Zeena and her alcoholic husband.

Sabotage

Sabotage

Drama · 1937

Karl Anton Verloc and his wife own a small cinema in a quiet London suburb where they live seemingly happily. But Mrs. Verloc does not know that her husband has a secret that will affect their relationship and threaten her teenage brother's life.

The File on Thelma Jordon

The File on Thelma Jordon

Thriller · 1949

Cleve Marshall, an assistant district attorney, falls for Thelma Jordon, a mysterious woman with a troubled past. When Thelma becomes a suspect in her aunt's murder, Cleve tries to clear her name.

Killer's Kiss

Killer's Kiss

Thriller · 1955

Davey Gordon, a New York City boxer at the end of his career, falls for dancer Gloria Price. However, their budding relationship is interrupted by Gloria's violent boss, Vincent Rapallo, who has eyes for Gloria. The two decide to skip town, but before they can, Vincent and his thugs abduct Gloria, and Davey is forced to search for her among the most squalid corners of the city, with his enemy hiding in the shadows.

The Choice

The Choice

Drama · 2016

Travis and Gabby first meet as neighbors in a small coastal town and wind up in a relationship that is tested by life's most defining events.

Woman of Straw

Woman of Straw

Crime · 1964

Anthony Richmond schemes to get the fortune of his tyrannical, wheelchair-using tycoon uncle Charles Richmond by persuading Maria, a nurse he employs, to marry him.

Anatomy of a Murder

Anatomy of a Murder

Crime · 1959

Semi-retired Michigan lawyer Paul Biegler takes the case of Army Lt. Manion, who murdered a local innkeeper after his wife claimed that he raped her. Over the course of an extensive trial, Biegler parries with District Attorney Lodwick and out-of-town prosecutor Claude Dancer to set his client free, but his case rests on the victim's mysterious business partner, who's hiding a dark secret.

Where it lives

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Names above the title

The people responsible.

Directed by

Tay Garnett

Written by

Harry Ruskin · Niven Busch

John Garfield

John Garfield

Frank Chambers

Lana Turner

Lana Turner

Cora Smith

Cecil Kellaway

Cecil Kellaway

Nick Smith

Hume Cronyn

Hume Cronyn

Arthur Keats

Leon Ames

Leon Ames

Kyle Sackett

Audrey Totter

Audrey Totter

Madge Gorland

Alan Reed

Alan Reed

Ezra Liam Kennedy

Court is in session

Put The Postman Always Rings Twice on trial.

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

The defence The Prestige Tourist

“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.