Deadline USA

Deadline USA is the first film we’ve watched that has a main journalist character that the audience can easily root for. His plight is straightforward: they are trying to close down his newspaper even though it’s the only one willing to cover the Rienzi story. Ed Hutcheson is very loyal to The Day and to the ideals of good honest journalism. He is the first character we have watched who wasn’t a ‘yellow journalist’ and was only concerned with the pursuit of truth. For me, this made the film slightly less effective. It made Hutcheson seem like more of a fictional character than the other films we’ve watched. Someone like Charles Kane serves as an example of the twisted, corrupting power the media and wealth can have on a person. Kane is a character that seems real and flawed, which ultimately leads to his demise. Bogart’s character, on the other hand, personifies the ideal journalist in such a way that it made him seem less likely to be a real person, at least to me. Because of the way journalists have been satirized and criticized throughout film history, Deadline USA almost feels like a rebuttal to all of those portrayals. Depicting a man who is steadfast in his convictions, rather than just seeking personal wealth and success.

Also, an interesting review of 'Sweet Smell of Success' from when it was released