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Plot:
A professional card dealer returns to Chicago after rehab for heroin addiction. But his overpowering wife, his old street buddies, and the allure of a ''B-girl'', coupled with his real dream to become...( read more 
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Recent Reviews
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MCT:September 17, 2008I heard that this is was the first movie ever to tackle drug addiction. For a first timer and for the time it came out, i was really impressed. Most of all, I was so impressed by Frank Sinatra's performance that I found some scenes hard to watch. He was so believable as a drug addict and now i can say that he wasn't only one of the best musicians ever but the man can act. He was also impressive in The Manchurian Candidate, which is the only other movie i have seen him in.
I definitely want to check out more movies with Frank Sinatra because he really impressed me. The movie isn't flawless because it may drag in some parts although I personally had no problem with the timing at all.
Kim Novak was also very good, Eleanor Parker on the other hand will definitely annoy anyone but she did her part well. I thought the relationship between her and Sinatra and how Sinatra reacted at the end kind of say it all.
How did Sinatra not win an Oscar for this? I need to find out. -
MCT:August 9, 2008First ever Hollywood film to portray drug addiction. Frank Sinatra's portrayal of a heroin addict is chilling and is definitely his best performance ever. The overall film is a bit slow. Frank was robbed of the Oscar! (which is ironic considering that Ernest Borgnine won that year)
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MCT:June 24, 2008The first Hollywood studio film to tackle the issue of hard drug abuse. The film was directed by Otto Preminger who was known for introducing mature themes to studio films. This is a smart depiction of drug abuse, more Lost Weekend than Reefer Madness. Frank Sinatra gives a very good performance and the film's visual style works great. There's also a great Saul Bass opening credit sequence, and a great jazz score. That said the film is probably more groundbreaking than it is extraordinary, and will probably be remembered for its ballsyness than its script.
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MCT:May 30, 2008
Back in ye olden tymes, filmmakers didn't need flashy special effects or fancy-nancy camera moves in order to make a good movie. All they needed was a compelling script, actors with enough talent to make an audience connect with it, and a camera with film to capture it all.
Such is The Man with the Golden Arm, a slow-paced yet riveting account of an extreme form of the human experience. In the lead role, we have Frank Sinatra, giving possibly the best performance of his career as a recovering smack-addict struggling to get away from the lifestyle that almost destroyed him. We root for him in this attempt, especially when that lifestyle threatens to engulf him yet again.
This is about Sinatra's character, but thankfully, it manages to never be "The Frank Sinatra Show". Part of this is because of Sinatra's genuine and realistic performance, and the other is because the film feels like an ensemble piece, despite it's centering around one character. All the supporting members of the cast are on-par with the leading man. My personal favorite being Darren McGavin as the manipulative snake of a dealer, calling Sinatra's character back to his former drug of choice like the serpent drawing Eve to the forbidden fruit. Elenor Parker also gets props as his psychotic wife, as does Kim Novak as the female friend who stands by him and helps him when he needs it the most.
All in all, this movie is excellent, and is sure to tug on the heartstrings of people patient enough to sit through it. -
MCT:January 30, 2008
An absolutely riveting movie. Elmer Bernstein's intense soundtrack alone would be worth the price of admission, but it's Sinatra who knocks it out of the park, once again proving his acting chops portraying a jazz drummer who just can't get clean.......and he drags the viewer into the gutter with him.
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MCT:January 3, 2008
Wow this movie just shows that frank sinatra can act. No one could have pulled of the witdraw part. one of the best movies every made.
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MCT:October 5, 2007
Once again Otto Preminger prodded at the boundaries of cinema in this dramatization of drug addiction starring Frank Sinatra as an "ex" junkie trying to rebuild his life. Although a little tame by todays standards, it was ground breaking at the time and it contains some intelligent insights into the psychology of addiction. Darren McGavin is great as the seductively smooth-talking pusher, and Kim Novak is a doll as the true object of his affections; the only weak link is the sub plot involving Frankie's "crippled" wife which would feel overcooked even if you could ignore Eleanor Parker's often painful over-acting. The happy ending also fails to ring true to the rest of the story, but the film belongs to Sinatra who really gets to prove his mettle as a serious actor.
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MCT:June 22, 2007
Otto Preminger, ever the boundary-pusher, turns his hand towards the perils of drug addiction in this ace tale of urban squalor and degradation.
Frank Sinatra is our main man here, trapped between several rocks and hard places; indebted to the local gambler and forced into an unhappy relationship with a girl he accidentally paralysed from the waist down. Sinatra gives oen his career-best performances, as this is not a role upon which to hang his smooth nature or good looks. Rather, he's more than willing to get his hands dirty expressing the realism of constantly going back to the needle.
In some cases, the film falters. The brass blares when his pusher takes out each instrument for his shooting up are particularly unsubtle, and Eleanor Parker's turn as manipulative 'cripple' Zosch is proper stagey, all fidgets and melodrama. Having said that, her character does contribute a great deal towards the overall tension propelling the film: that everyone needs to leech off someone else, be it for money or affection. This is also reflected in Frankie's simple buddy, he's comic relief, but as quick to pull a deceptive scam as anyone else.
On the plus side, the legendary Saul Bass contributes a diamond title sequence, and the ever-reliable Preminger keeps the material from getting stagey by offering some trademark smooth, unbroken shots. The best include the sexually-charged linger over Frankie and Molly's re-encounter, and the final scene's gorgeous three-storey pan after... now that'd be telling.
A little dated, but a fine addiction movie, with mostly solid performances, neat camerawork and jazzy score. -
MCT:May 15, 2007
Heavy. Perhaps the best junkie movie ever made. The story of the destruction of a human and his soul.
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MCT:February 22, 2007
The first film to deal with heroin addiction, 'The Man' is bolder than one may think, considering the decade. Preminger's masterfully-directed film is a landmark in '50s cinema. Sinatra solidifies his place in film, making him just as good an actor as he is a singer. Slow and with a distracting score, but impactful.
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MCT:January 11, 2007
If you ever wondered if Frank Sinatra was just a singer - watch this movie - this is what acting is all about. He was brilliant in this. Amazing.
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MCT:January 7, 2007
A great movie by genuis director Otto Preminger, beautifully acted by Kim Novak and Frank Sinatra, who plays a great heroin addict trying to lose the habit.
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MCT:November 17, 2006
Anyone who wonders whether Frank Sinatra could act has obviously not seen this film. He may have won an Oscar for From Here to Eternity, but he should most definitely have gotten one for this film - a taboo topic, ahead of it's time perhaps. The tragedy is the topic's still so very current today.
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MCT:July 28, 2006
top shelf, Sinatra didn't have enough to do making music, he was also busy winning best actor awards for this one.
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MCT:May 23, 2006
primitive account of drug abuse and the effects . Quite mild compared to today's films. very interesting, nice performance- Sinatra, also a bit humorous. nice story too.
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