The bad taste factor runs high in D.O.A. Exaggerated expressions of emotion run amuck. Tiomkin's MickeyMousing tactics smack goofy more often than not. And the often praised script scenario doesn't fair well if you think about it too much. But these flaws -- the volume and intensity of them -- cross a threshold into the surreal. In particular Neville Brand's over the top performance as "poor" Chester. And that's the secret of D.O.A.'s greatness, I think: its nightmare trappings, its grotesque actor/characters, and its amphetamine rush toward disaster. It espouses such a feeling of hopelessness, the viewer can feel some relief that real life isn't like this. The same goes for Dick Tracy comics, Iggy Pop songs, and Francis Bacon paintings. If you like weird movies, you ought to like D.O.A.
