1950: D.O.A.

A man finds out he's been poisoned and only has a few days left to live and spends them on finding his killers - now isn't that a cool idea for a crime film? Though somewhat hard to follow at times, the movie, shot in stark, grainy black & white and set to a soundtrack the expressiveness of which borders on the camp, moves at a speed befitting its subject matters and doesn't waste any time on cinematic subtleties. Wham, Bam, Bam! (7.5)

(The film is in the public domain. Free & legal download or streaming video at Internet Archives.)