Dead End

"THE GREATEST GANGSTER THRILLER THAT EVER EXPLODED FROM THE SCREEN!"

1937 1h 33m EN

👍

7.0

SOLID

★7.0TMDB · 158

CrimeDrama

Synopsis

Spoiler shield

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.

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

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Cast

Sylvia Sidney
Drina
Joel McCrea
Dave
Humphrey Bogart
"Baby Face" Martin
Wendy Barrie
Kay
Claire Trevor
Francey
Allen Jenkins
Hunk
Marjorie Main
Mrs. Martin
Billy Halop
Tommy

Credits

Behind the camera

Director: William Wyler
Writers: Lillian Hellman
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 / 8

MONEY

Did you know

Shot for just $0.9M — micro-budget by Hollywood standards.

MoodPlayr · trivia#01

2 / 8

ERA

Did you know

89 years old — a genuine piece of film history.

MoodPlayr · trivia#02

3 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Directed by William Wyler, shot by Gregg Toland. Note their partnership — DPs and directors often return to each other across a career.

MoodPlayr · trivia#03

4 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

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

MoodPlayr · trivia#04

5 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

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

MoodPlayr · trivia#05

6 / 8

CAST

Did you know

Sylvia Sidney and Joel McCrea and Humphrey Bogart carry the top of the cast.

MoodPlayr · trivia#06

7 / 8

FACT

Did you know

Marketing tagline: "THE GREATEST GANGSTER THRILLER THAT EVER EXPLODED FROM THE SCREEN!".

MoodPlayr · trivia#07

8 / 8

WILD

Did you know

IMDB entry: tt0028773 — still the authoritative cross-reference for credits and trivia.

MoodPlayr · trivia#08

Cinephile deep dive

The take

William Wyler directs. Gregg Toland behind the camera. Alfred Newman scores. Daniel Mandell cuts. Runs lean at under 100 minutes. Produced in United States of America. Dialogue in English.

Trivia

Things worth knowing

1Shot for just $0.9M — micro-budget by Hollywood standards.
289 years old — a genuine piece of film history.
3Directed by William Wyler, shot by Gregg Toland. Note their partnership — DPs and directors often return to each other across a career.
4Original score by Alfred Newman. Worth a dedicated listen after — most great films lose half their impact without the score.
5Editor Daniel Mandell shaped the rhythm. On an edit-heavy film, the editor does more to control your pulse than the director.
6Sylvia Sidney and Joel McCrea and Humphrey Bogart carry the top of the cast.
7Marketing tagline: "THE GREATEST GANGSTER THRILLER THAT EVER EXPLODED FROM THE SCREEN!".
8IMDB entry: tt0028773 — still the authoritative cross-reference for credits and trivia.
9Classified under 19 themes, including "plastic surgery", "mobster", "gunfight", "class differences".

The technical file

Cinematography: Gregg Toland
Original score: Alfred Newman
Editing: Daniel Mandell
Costume design: Omar Kiam
Runtime: 93 min · 1h 33m
Status: Released
Budget: $900,000
Original language: EN
Certification (US): NR
IMDB: Dead End (1937)

Also by

William Wyler

Trailers & featurettes

Watch the pieces

Community reviews

What people are saying

CinemaSerf2022-06-20
★ 7/10
OK, so this is definitely not the cheeriest of stories but Bogart and Joel McCrea are on good form throughout this gritty drama of hardship and depravity on the East Side of New York. "Baby Face Martin" - who, to be fair, maybe benefits a bit optimistically from the moniker - returns to his childhood home to reunite with his mother and childhood sweetheart. His mother wants nothing to do with him and his ex "Francie" (Claire Trevor) turned to prostitution and hasn't long to go before syphilis does for her. Meantime his friend, aspiring/struggling architect "Dave" (McCrae) is juggling his romantic interests between sweet but rather dreary "Drina" and "Kay" (Wendy Barrie) who already has a rich boyfriend. All of this misery is made all the more poignant by the fact that this ghetto is overlooked by the apartments of the wealthy that have relocated to new properties that overlook the adjacent East river. When Bogart decides that he wants to re-assert himself in the community by organising a high-profile kidnapping, he and his erstwhile friend find themselves on opposite sides of the plot! The crime drama is there, but it is comparatively weak compared with the pretty blatant social commentary from Lillian Hellman's screenplay that draws attention, unashamedly, to the stark contrast between the standards of living (and dying) of those just yards apart.

Production companies