Based on the Humphrey Bogart star making classic High Sierra, I Died a Thousand Times brings vivid Warnercolor richness and the enveloping expanse of CinemaScope to the gritty saga of old-timer Roy "Mad Dog" Earle (Jack Palance), just released from prison and leading nervous small-timers (Lee Marvin and Earl Holliman) on a resort heist fated not to go like clockwork. Soft-hearted Earle is so drawn to a crippled girl (Lori Nelson) that he pays for curative operation. But when things go wrong, it's a brassy dime-a-dance girl (Shelley Winters) who stands beside him. Veterans Lon Chaney and Mae Clarke and newcomers Dennis Hopper and Richard Davalos are featured in the top-flight cast. With a taut script by High Sierra novelist W.R. Burnett and a heart-pounding manhunt finale, I Died a Thousand Times is a rousing, memorable thriller.
