A very smart, socially conscious film.

What a great movie and quite an excellent idea at such a critical time in our countries history to put this film into circulation! Two great performances highlight this classic!

Curtis & Poitier give outstanding performances in The Defiant Ones, and the supporting cast is stellar as well. The remakes don't hold a candle to the 1958 original. WHERE TO WATCH?: As of July 2024, the original & its poorly done remake are both available on the Tubi app (for free).

Picks up in the second half with a decent ending. Shame the first half was awash with so much forced moralising. Some of the characters were cartoonish but there's enough in the plot to keep it just on tracks. Watched on Amazon Prime

Really, really great acting makes this movie work. Poitier and Curtis kept my interest from start to finish. Clever plot with the main theme of interracial relationships.

Rarely do you find a movie that focuses on the social aspect that much while also having an entertaining plot and suspense. Sidney Poitier and Tony Curtis give moving performances, in addition to Stanley Kramer's magic. The Defiant Ones is a masterpiece.

The Defiant Ones is an odd couple prison break drama pairing Sidney Poitier and Tony Curtis on the run and free from their cell but still remaining shackled and chained at the wrist. This film is at its best when focused on the interplay between Curtis and Poitier, their divide heightened over racial difference (and supported by sharp dialogue exchanges between the two) but ultimately leading to a bond that asks what is freedom without loyalty. The film does falter where focused on the pursuit of the escapees however Theodore Bikel as Sherrif does do an admirable job of keeping his gun toting, trigger happy deputies at bay, a theme echoed later where the the duo are at the mercy of a murderous lynch mob. I'm absolutely stumped about the meanings and relevance of the song Poitier sings at various intervals - something about a bowling green and a kitten sitting on a sewing machine?!? This was no doubt the inspiration for AIP's excellently titled 1970s Blaxploitation actioner 'Black Mama, White Mama'.

Two convicts, one a black man and the other a racist, chained together, escape from custody after being involved in a car accident while being transported and battle their own demons while trying to evade their pursuers. While The Defiant One's racial themes resolve themselves in a predictable manner, the movie is a thrilling cat and mouse game and leaves the audience guessing until the final scene. Sydney Poitier and Tony Curtis are excellent in the lead roles and the black and white cinematography, especially the shallow focus shots, is striking. While too much time may have been dedicated to the seemingly incompetent pursuers (why is one of the deputies allowed to play his radio at full volume throughout the chase?), it remains an engrossing film with important messages.

A classic thriller based around race, preconceptions, and mutual respect. Characters act out on impulse based on their typically exaggerated assumptions of those they don't know, and it's not just limited to the main characters portrayed by Poitier and Curtis; the formerly abused citizen that saves the pair from a lynching party having empathized with their situation, for instance. Our two prisoner protagonists never come together to have a Kumbaya moment, instead building a mutual respect based on shared hardships, similar past experiences, and a longing for freedom; there's an undeniable idealism to their character development, but at the same time the two air their grievances openly instead of hiding behind softer language. In 1958, it was still a radical message that plenty of Americans didn't want to hear. There does seem to be a bit of a missed opportunity in the film's design associated with the party of law enforcement hunting down the protagonists, given that they are never really depicted as threatening in any capacity. Oftentimes, the brief jumps back to their group take the audience out of the story (providing context that removes what could have been an oppressive atmosphere) and instead replaces it with comic relief and a jazzy, saxophone-heavy soundtrack. Both Poitier and Curtis are solid throughout, and there is some creative camerawork that might surprise you given the film's status as a predominantly 'socially conscious work, such as characters running directly to the camera and a great panning shot over a town that the pair attempt to sneak into. There are idealistic elements that make The Defiant Ones seem a bit dated with so many decades of heavier race-based films to compare it to, but as a product of its time you can't complain. (3.5/5)

The bondage of fleeing fugitives are no match for the thirst of a single mother.

A never ending parade of great performances make this a strong film.

What's really special about the movie is the development of Poitier and Curtis as two men shackled together who have to depend on each other. A real bond is forged between the two as characters – and as actors. Curtis, who got his only Oscar nomination for this role, insisted that Poitier get equal billing in the movie. Poitier was treated equally by the Academy, too, getting the same Best Supporting Actor nomination that Curtis received.

Stanley Kramer deserves a much higher seat in the pantheon of Hollywood notoriety. With films like "The Defiant Ones, Guess Who's Coming to Dinner, The Men, Judgment at Nuremberg, Inherit the Wind, Ship of Fools, High Noon, The Cain Mutiny, and Home of the Brave," Kramer's work has forever raised the consciousness of the American people like no other. Having often been jeered the "message director," Kramer was forced to endure condescension from the likes of the quintessential Pauline Kael and others; but it's time to bring back his legacy with a dutiful remake of the "Defiant Ones." Not only is it a great film technically, our Country is crying out for guidance and the return to compassion and humanity that this film aptly projects. COVID-19 has shackled us together, all of us, and we need the kind of road map "The Defiant Ones" can provide.

Stanley Kramer's authorship can now be seen as topical tackles in forming social commentary exposure to go as far as timeless relevance. The directorial peacemaker boldly tested how primitively western the south is by counteracting with nonviolent resolutions and then secretly unveil how much a bond can be the hidden truth between two different ethics. Finely themed in communication while being verbally and physically delivered symbolically by Sydney Poitier and Tony Curtis's exceptionally humble performances as expected. (B+)

I really liked this movie. There are parts of it that are slow moving, but there are parts that are really engaging as well. I love the section where they meet up with the woman and her son.

Although I can appreciate that Sidney Poitier was a significant cultural figure and he pushed forward representation of African Americans in mainstream cinema I don't think that he is a fantastic actor. His limited range is put on show in this Stanley Kramer "message movie" which drums the same message into it's audience over and over again. There is little of the depth of John Cassavetes' Shadows (1959) which would deal with more subtle forms of racism and it doesn't provide the entertainment value supposedly derived from this simplistic of a film. 61 years later it is hard to see why this film garnered so many Academy Award nominations as it appears exceedingly dull. Two prisoners, the white John "Joker" Johnson, Tony Curtis, and the African-American Noah Cullen, Sidney Poitier, are chained together and escape when the truck they are being transported to prison in drives off the road. They learn to work together as they are tasked with climbing out of a ravine by standing on each other's shoulders and hiding out from those pursuing them. The lazy Sheriff Max Muller, Theodore Bikel, comes after them but is halfhearted in his attempts to capture them. At one point the two men find themselves close to getting lynched as the people at a turpentine camp are suspicious of them. They are set free by Big Sam, Lon Chaney Jr., who was a prisoner himself and are found by the young Billy, Kevin Coughlin, and his mother, Cara Williams, who is strongly attracted to Johnson. She plots to keep him as her husband and help him evade the police but wants to rid herself of Cullen whom she believes will only endanger them and has strong racist feelings toward him. Johnson is hurt by her betrayal and goes after his friend so that they can be reunited. Setting itself up as a buddy movie early on you expect the film to be more interested in deepening the connection between it's characters than it is. We see the time occupied with scenes of the men running or supporting white characters being overtly racist. This leaves us with little time to appreciate the dynamic between our two leads as Johnson and Cullen feel like stock characters and their banter is never particularly witty or insightful. Poitier puts on his usual angry but noble act and rushes a lot of his lines while Curtis has an unconvincing southern accent and shouts most of his one liners. They either have a real lack of chemistry or just not enough time to develop a solid rapport as they seem to be more occupied with their physical appearances and sticking to the public personas that they were known for than developing real, authentic characters with depth. Kramer deserves a lot of criticism for this as this is an issue in most of his films, often with the racial minority characters, as they have to be practically perfect and often lack in personality while the white actors are pushed to chew the scenery in their roles. The story of the film itself is unremarkable as we have seen the story of two completely different people becoming close friends while on the run a million times before. Kramer adds nothing new to this formula and doesn't make it as enjoyable as even an average 1980s comedy like Midnight Run (1988) or Stakeout (1987). The interest could have come when the men meet a femme fatale, she is never named, yet Kramer isn't willing to sow the seeds allowing us to slowly realize her racism and has her explicitly state her feelings to Johnson instead. There is none of the intrigue or build up that would exist inside a superior film and we never get Johnson weighing up his options as we trust that he will simply run after the man he has known for all of a few days after learning about his lover's plans. It was difficult to care at any point and while the film is only 96 minutes it felt much longer than The Razor's Edge (1946) or any of the other far superior films I have seen recently. I would recommend that audience members looking for a stimulating experience watch Inherit the Wind (1960), one of the few Kramer productions that aged well.

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A prison truck is transporting a group of convicts when it runs off the road and crashes. Two convicts escape - Johnny (Tony Curtis), a white man, and Cullen (Sydney Poitier), a black man. They loathe each other, especially as Johnny is an ignorant racist. However, they are chained together and have to rely on each other to escape and survive. Meanwhile, the State Police plus the local Sheriff and a ragtag bunch of deputies, assisted by tracker dogs, are hot on their trail. With enough thrilling action to keep it enjoyable today, this is an important film that provided Poitier with a breakthrough role and helped Curtis to escape the simplistic hero mode in which his talents had too often been wasted. If you look closely, you'll notice that the actor playing Angus is former Little Rascal Carl "Alfalfa" Switzer, making his last screen appearance. This is one of underrated producer/director Stanley Kramer's finest humanitarian films. The performances by Tony Curtis and Sidney Poitier are virtually flawless.

The best, GREATEST thrilling and inspiring movie ever made! With 2 of the best movie characters ever portrayed: Tony Curtis as John Jackson and Sidney Poitier as Noah Cullen!

An impressively tense film. Poitier and Curtis are both incredible. The lack of background music provides for an impressive setting that adds stress and meaning. Occasionally the anti-racism message is a bit on the nose, but generally it’s woven into the actions of the two men and so the climax feels earned.