I Want to Live!

I Want to Live!

The murder trial that shook the world!

Directed by Robert Wise

Produced by United Artists, Figaro Incorporated Production

1958120 min6.9 / 10

A grim, morally urgent true-crime drama about a woman condemned to death for a crime she may not have committed, wrestling with fate and the machinery of capital punishment.

Brazen perpetual offender Barbara Graham tries to go straight but she finds herself implicated in a murder and sent to death row.

Questions people ask

  • Is I Want to Live! sad? Yes, very. More sad than 98% of films.

  • Does I Want to Live! end with hope? No. Less hopeful than 91% of films.

  • Is I Want to Live! easy watching? Not especially. Less comforting than 74% of films.

  • Is I Want to Live! scary? Somewhat. More frightening than 61% of films.

  • Is I Want to Live! violent? About average. Almost exactly mid-range.

These describe how the film comes across, measured across the whole film and compared with other well-known films. They are not a content list — nothing here was counted or checked scene by scene, so for age-suitability or specific content use a classification board or a dedicated content-warning service.

Written about

49/ 100

Cinnamon Score

How much this film gives you that nothing else will, and whether it delivers.

Familiar shape, done well.

Rarity60

How unlike any other film this one feels

Surprise26

How much more it delivers than it promises

Love65

How much audiences actually like it

The highest scores in the catalogue →

Ensemble

Like I Want to Live!

Nearest across the full emotional profile.

Same Mood as I Want to Live!

Nearest on what's most distinctive about this one.

Like I Want to Live!, But Darker

Similar, pushed toward heavier and more intense.

Like I Want to Live!, But Lighter

Similar, pushed toward warmer and easier.

Like I Want to Live!, But Less Popular

Same territory, far fewer people have seen it.

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