The Defiant Ones

"One of the great ones!"

1958 1h 36m EN

👍

7.1

SOLID

★7.1TMDB · 339

CrimeDramaAdventureThriller

Synopsis

Spoiler shield

Two convicts—one white, one black—escape while chained to each other.

“One of the great ones!”

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Where to watch · US

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Cast

Tony Curtis
John 'Joker' Jackson
Sidney Poitier
Noah Cullen
Theodore Bikel
Sheriff Max Muller
Charles McGraw
Capt. Frank Gibbons
Lon Chaney Jr.
Big Sam
King Donovan
Solly
Claude Akins
Mack
Lawrence Dobkin
Editor

Credits

Behind the camera

Director: Stanley Kramer
Writers: Harold Jacob Smith, Nedrick Young
Languages: English
Countries: United States of America

Want more? Switch to Cinephile mode in the header for DP, composer, budget, box office, production companies, keywords, and release history.

Did you know?

Fun facts 🍿

1 / 7

ERA

Did you know

68 years old — a genuine piece of film history.

MoodPlayr · trivia#01

2 / 7

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Directed by Stanley Kramer, shot by Sam Leavitt. Note their partnership — DPs and directors often return to each other across a career.

MoodPlayr · trivia#02

3 / 7

ERA

Did you know

Original score by Ernest Gold. Worth a dedicated listen after — most great films lose half their impact without the score.

MoodPlayr · trivia#03

4 / 7

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Editor Frederic Knudtson shaped the rhythm. On an edit-heavy film, the editor does more to control your pulse than the director.

MoodPlayr · trivia#04

5 / 7

CAST

Did you know

Tony Curtis and Sidney Poitier and Theodore Bikel carry the top of the cast.

MoodPlayr · trivia#05

6 / 7

FACT

Did you know

Marketing tagline: "One of the great ones!".

MoodPlayr · trivia#06

7 / 7

WILD

Did you know

IMDB entry: tt0051525 — still the authoritative cross-reference for credits and trivia.

MoodPlayr · trivia#07

Cinephile deep dive

The take

Stanley Kramer directs. Sam Leavitt behind the camera. Ernest Gold scores. Frederic Knudtson cuts. Runs lean at under 100 minutes. Produced in United States of America. Dialogue in English.

Trivia

Things worth knowing

168 years old — a genuine piece of film history.
2Directed by Stanley Kramer, shot by Sam Leavitt. Note their partnership — DPs and directors often return to each other across a career.
3Original score by Ernest Gold. Worth a dedicated listen after — most great films lose half their impact without the score.
4Editor Frederic Knudtson shaped the rhythm. On an edit-heavy film, the editor does more to control your pulse than the director.
5Tony Curtis and Sidney Poitier and Theodore Bikel carry the top of the cast.
6Marketing tagline: "One of the great ones!".
7IMDB entry: tt0051525 — still the authoritative cross-reference for credits and trivia.
8Classified under 17 themes, including "escape", "mississippi river", "freedom", "hostility".

The technical file

Cinematography: Sam Leavitt
Original score: Ernest Gold
Editing: Frederic Knudtson
Production design: Rudolph Sternad
Makeup / hair: Don L. Cash
Runtime: 96 min · 1h 36m
Aspect ratio (typical): 1.37:1 (Academy)
Status: Released
Original language: EN
Certification (US): NR
IMDB: The Defiant Ones (1958)

Awards

Golden Globe Award for Best Motion Picture – Drama
Academy Award for Best Writing, Original Screenplay
Academy Award for Best Cinematography, Black-and-White
United Nations Awards

Individual records documented via Wikidata; the summary above may count more.

Also by

Stanley Kramer

Stills · wallpapers

Selected frames

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Wallpaper

Trailers & featurettes

Watch the pieces

Community reviews

What people are saying

CinemaSerf2023-08-10
★ 7/10
"Joker" (Tony Curtis) and "Cullen" (Sidney Poitier) are chained together on a prison bus when it has an accident. Seeing a chance, and despite the fact that they pretty much loathe each other, they abscond and plan to jump a train to escape. As they flee, they gradually learn to respect - even like - each other before arriving at a smallholding where they befriend the woman (Cara Williams) who lives there with her young son "Billy" (Kevin Coughlin). After a few days, it becomes clear that she and "Joker" have taken a bit of a shine to each other, and so she concocts a plan to drive the now separated "Joker" and her son in one direction whilst "Cullen" heads off separately into the swamp and towards the railway. All sounds good, but when "Joker" discovers that the plan has some perilous flaws for his erstwhile buddy, he has choices to make - with ramifications for all concerned, especially as the well-meaning but dogged Sherriff "Muller" (Theodore Bikel) and the less scrupulous "Capt. Gibbons" (Charles McGraw) are also in hot pursuit. Essentially this is a two hander between two actors who work well together, who use a potent - and sometimes humorous - story and script to offer us an insight into an evolution of the need for the survival into one enhanced by an increasing mutual affection. They both have their flaws, their bigotries - but when it comes down to it, their adventures illustrate the very pointlessness of these traits and that message is clearly augmented by the attitude of the decent "Muller" and also by many others whom they encounter on their trek for freedom. The story addresses political and racist issues with a punch, we are never faced with pontification here, just with an opportunity to realise for ourselves how petty and stupid some of our irrational attitudes are. This is certainly worth watching.

Production companies