The Postman Always Rings Twice

The Postman Always Rings Twice (1946)

  • 95% of critics liked it
    (19 reviews)

  • 78% of users liked it
    (7,071 ratings)

James M. Cain's novel received its first authorized screen treatment in this MGM production. Drifter Frank Chambers (John Garfield) takes a job at a roadhouse run by slovenly but likeable Nick Smith (Cecil Kellaway). Nick's sexy young wife Cora (Lana Turner) takes an immediate liking to Frank, but… More

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Unrated, 1 hr. 53 min.
Directed By
Tay Garnett
Written By
Harry Ruskin, James M. Cain, Niven Busch
Genres
Drama, Mystery & Suspense, Classics
In Theaters
May 2, 1946 Limited
On DVD
Jan 6, 2004
MGM

Critic Reviews

  • Nick Davis, Nick's Flick Picks

    The movie is not a wild river but a humid delta of stagnant frustration and stymied movement, so it's all the more impressive that it's such a gripping spectatorial experience.

  • John J. Puccio, Movie Metropolis

    Quintessential film noir. (TCM Greatest Classic Films: Murder Mysteries)

  • Josh Larsen, LarsenOnFilm

    ...has little of the insinuating nature of the best film noir.

  • Clint Morris, Moviehole

    Whilst the Jack/Jessica version was entertaining it was seemingly only interested in 'pushing the envelope', this film doesn't need to do any of that - and doesn't - it just plays out the story, and that's gripping enough.

  • Sarah Chauncey, Reel.com

    The chemistry between Nick (Garfield) and Cora (Turner) absolutely leaps off the screen.

Read all 6 critic reviews

Critic ratings and reviews powered by RottenTomatoes.com

Fresh (60% or more critics rated the movie positively)

Rotten (59% or fewer critics rated the movie positively)

Featured Audience Ratings

  • Jonathan H


    I wasn't expecting a classic film noir along the lines of "Double Indemnity" or "Out of the Past" when I finally got around to watching The Postman Always Rings Twice, and for awhile, I thought I might have been wrong. Compared to the benchmarks of the genre,… More

  • Lewis C


    "Darling, can't you see how happy you and I would be together here...without him?" In this steamy collaboration between John Garfield and Lana Turner, Garfield plays a young, aimless vagabond who arrives at a small diner near Los Angeles in his travels, and enters the… More

  • AJ V


    Another good thriller from the forties, somewhat like a lot of other thrillers, but it has a good cast, it's worth watching.

  • First L


    A film full of wicked people, ugly lawyers, and scheming lovers. Really, there's practically no one here who's sympathetic. It's the sort of story that could've been found in any crime magazine in the 40s and 50s. A drifter (John Garfield) stumbles upon an old… More

  • Anthony L


    Tay Garnett's 1946 film is a classic chilling thriller. Lana Turner's performance convinced people that she was more than a pretty face too. Brilliant!

Read all 15 featured audience ratings

Cast

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Trailers & Clips

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