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James M. Cain

James M. Cain

Writer · Died October 27, 1977, aged 85 · Annapolis, Maryland, USA

James Mallahan Cain (1892–1977) was an American novelist, journalist and screenwriter. He is considered one of the founders of the hardboiled crime genre.

Biography from TMDB.

Born
July 1, 1892
Died
October 27, 1977 (aged 85)
From
Annapolis, Maryland, USA
Works as
Writer
Titles
20 on MovieCove · 33 credits in all
Links
IMDb (opens in a new tab)TMDB (opens in a new tab)Wikidata (opens in a new tab)

Known for

TMDB popularity, last 38 days to Oct 27Up 16% in 30 days

What are James M. Cain's films like?

Across their 19 MovieCove titles with a thematic analysis, their films lean Bonds and Morality.

Genres

Crime11 titlesTypical Midcredits score: 65th percentile, at or above their average across these genres
: browse their Crime movies
Drama4 titlesTypical Midcredits score: 44th percentile
: browse their Drama movies

Their MovieCove films by primary genre. The badge is the typical Midcredits score of the genre's films, the median percentile; an up arrow marks a genre at or above their average across these genres.

Themes

share of theme weight
Bonds
29%
Morality
23%
Self
22%
Power
17%
Survival
5%
Ideas
4%
Romantic love10 titles, browse their movies with this themeBetrayal5 titles, browse their movies with this themeObsession3 titles, browse their movies with this themeDeception5 titles, browse their movies with this themeAmbition3 titles, browse their movies with this themeFamily bonds3 titles, browse their movies with this themeRedemption2 titles, browse their movies with this themeGreed3 titles, browse their movies with this theme

What they feel like to watch

their average across 19 films
ToneFeelDemandtheir average · filled zone: the category
Serious: How heavy the subject matter and outlook get. Browse their serious movies.
Tone · Weight
lightdark

A split, not a type: Light 6 · Serious 3 · Dark 10

Stylized: How far its world departs from everyday reality. Browse their stylized movies.
Tone · Style
naturalisticheightened

A split, not a type: Grounded 8 · Stylized 5 · Heightened 6

Charged: How hard the emotional peaks hit while you watch. Browse their charged movies.
Feel · Intensity
gentleintense

A split, not a type: Gentle 1 · Charged 8 · Intense 10

Shifting: How much it swings between very different feelings. Browse their shifting movies.
Feel · Swings
steadyswings

Steady 6 · Shifting 10 · Whiplash 3

Straight-faced: How much of the runtime is played for laughs. Browse their straight-faced movies.
Feel · Humor
noneconstant

Straight-faced 16 · Some laughs 2 · Funny 1

Even-paced: How fast it moves from scene to scene. Browse their even-paced movies.
Demand · Pace
slowrelentless

Slow burn 4 · Even-paced 15 · Relentless 0

Engaged: How much focus it asks of you — look away and lose the thread? Browse their engaged movies.
Demand · Attention
casualfull focus

Casual 8 · Engaged 9 · Full focus 2

Affecting: How much it costs you emotionally; whether you need recovery time. Browse their affecting movies.
Demand · Emotional cost
easyheavy

A split, not a type: Easy watch 4 · Affecting 6 · Heavy 9

Resolved: How much is left for you to interpret. Browse their resolved movies.
Demand · Resolution
resolvedambiguous

Resolved 13 · Open-ended 5 · Ambiguous 1

Moods and endings

endings are an aggregate; no title is named

Dominant moods · mentions across their titles

Tense
16
Melancholic
10
Romantic
7
Bittersweet
4
Warm
3
Other
9

How their films linger

Bittersweet8 titles, browse their movies with this aftertasteHaunting7 titles, browse their movies with this aftertasteHopeful4 titles, browse their movies with this aftertasteThought-provoking4 titles, browse their movies with this aftertasteFeel-good4 titles, browse their movies with this aftertasteUnsettling3 titles, browse their movies with this aftertaste

How their films end · 5 with a twist

  • Happy5
  • Bittersweet4
  • Tragic7
  • Ambiguous3

AI-generated from each title's plot synopsis and cast list, with extra plot summaries, reviews and Parents Guide notes for titles the model may not know, and the model's own knowledge of the ones it recognizes. Only analyzed titles count, so this covers part of the filmography; the feel axes count films only for now.

Where can I watch James M. Cain's films?

As of October 24, 2026, 6 of their 20 MovieCove titles stream on a subscription or free service, most on Tubi (4).

Also on these channels

Subscription and free streaming for James M. Cain's titles on MovieCove; rent and buy are not counted. Titles are listed by Midcredits score, highest first, at most 12 per service; a dashed chip is a producer credit or a minor one, such as a thanks. A service opens the browse page, which counts movies only, so its number can differ.

Filmography

33 credits, 20 with a MovieCove page.

  • National Theatre Live: Obsession (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2017)

    Novel

  • Mildred Pierce(2011)

    Show 5 episodes · Novel

    Midcredits score: 74th percentile of all shows

  • Buai Laju-Laju (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2004)

    Novel

  • Passion (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1998)

    Novel

  • Girl in the Cadillac(1995)

    Novel

    Midcredits score: 18th percentile of all films

  • The Power of Speech (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1988)

    Novel

  • Butterfly(1981)

    Novel

    Midcredits score: 16th percentile of all films

  • The Postman Always Rings Twice(1981)

    Novel

    Midcredits score: 65th percentile of all films

  • Double Indemnity (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1973)

    Novel

  • Interlude(1968)

    Screenplay

    Midcredits score: 52nd percentile of all films

  • Yu hai qing mo(1967)

    Writer

    Midcredits score: 34th percentile of all films (provisional, few ratings)

  • Konto ausgeglichen (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1959)

    Novel

  • For the Sake of a Woman (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1959)

    Original Story

  • Interlude (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1957)

    Story

  • Serenade(1956)

    Novel

    Midcredits score: 36th percentile of all films

  • Slightly Scarlet(1956)

    Novel

    Midcredits score: 63rd percentile of all films

  • Everybody Does It (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1949)

    Story

  • Out of the Past(1947)

    Additional Writing · Writer

    Midcredits score: 97th percentile of all films

  • The Postman Always Rings Twice(1946)

    Novel

    Midcredits score: 91st percentile of all films

  • Mildred Pierce(1945)

    Novel

    Midcredits score: 98th percentile of all films

  • Gypsy Wildcat(1944)

    Screenplay

    Midcredits score: 29th percentile of all films

  • Double Indemnity(1944)

    Novel

    Midcredits score: 99th percentile of all films

  • Obsession(1943)

    Novel

    Midcredits score: 93rd percentile of all films

  • The Shanghai Gesture (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1941)

    Writer

  • Money and the Woman(1940)

    Story

    Midcredits score: 33rd percentile of all films (provisional, few ratings)

  • When Tomorrow Comes (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1939)

    Story

  • The Last Turning (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1939)

    Novel

  • Wife, Husband and Friend(1939)

    Novel

    Midcredits score: 46th percentile of all films

  • Stand Up and Fight(1939)

    Screenplay

    Midcredits score: 57th percentile of all films

  • Blockade(1938)

    Writer

    Midcredits score: 26th percentile of all films

  • Algiers(1938)

    Dialogue

    Midcredits score: 65th percentile of all films

  • They Gave Him a Gun(1937)

    Writer

    Midcredits score: 53rd percentile of all films

  • She Made Her Bed (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1934)

    Story

Career shape

A full career of 31 titles from 1934 to 2017.

Biggest box office

The Postman Always Rings Twice (1981)

$12M worldwide

Highest rated

Double Indemnity (1944)

Midcredits 99th

Most popular right now

Slightly Scarlet (1956)

By role

only this rolewith another role
Writing30 of 31: 30 only writing, 0 with another role · typical Midcredits score57thOther crew1 of 31: 1 only other crew, 0 with another role

By decade

1930s7 · crew1940s9 · crew1950s5 · crew1960s1 · crew1970s1 · crew1980s3 · crew1990s2 · crew2000s1 · crew2010s2 · crew

Counts from TMDB across their full career, self appearances out; a title counts in every role they held on it. The ring is the typical Midcredits score (the median percentile) of the role's titles that are on MovieCove, shown from 5 scored.

How do James M. Cain's films land?

Their typical MovieCove film has a Midcredits score in the 53rd percentile, the median of all 19; across their 19 films with reception data, the typical film sits in the 58th percentile for acclaim.

Acclaim · how much people like their films

58thpercentile
Typical film, the median of 19

Approval · how many liked their films

54thpercentile
Typical film, the median of 19

Reach · how many have seen their films

36thpercentile
Typical film, the median of 19

Midcredits score across 20 titles, by percentile

  • 75th and up5
  • 50th to 74th7
  • 25th to 49th6
  • Below 25th2

Shape of the crowd

7 of their 20 titles are Crowd Pleasers.

  • Universally Loved4
  • Cult Classic1
  • Crowd Pleaser7
  • Broadly Agreed3
  • Mixed5

Most divisive · writer

Girl in the Cadillac (1995)

81st percentile spread · 35% rated it 4 or lower

Most loved · writer

Double Indemnity (1944)

Midcredits 99th · 89% liked

Reviewers score the dialogue 54/100 and the plot and story 48/100 in their films, across 18 reviewed titles. The element that speaks to their work as a writer.

Percentiles are each film's standing among all films on MovieCove; the typical film is the median, so one outlier cannot drag it. Percentiles and reviewer scores count the films IMDb credits them on, for now; the Midcredits score bands, the shape of the crowd and the two cards count their MovieCove titles, shows included (a show ranked among shows), appearances as themselves left out. A descriptor is the shape of a title's IMDb rating distribution against the catalog; "most divisive" needs a spread wider than half of all titles, and a card names only a principal credit: a craft role, and on a show a crew role or a run of episodes, never a courtesy credit or a one-off guest spot.

Is James M. Cain's work okay for kids?

Across up to 5 MovieCove titles with content scores, alcohol & drugs runs heavier than most films and sex & nudity lighter.

Their medianMedian of all filmsMiddle 80% of their titles
Violence & Gore4 titlesmedian 37 · moderateMedian of all films: 44
Sex & Nudity5 titles10–66 · median 13 · minimallighter than most filmsMedian of all films: 32
Profanity4 titlesmedian 3 · minimalMedian of all films: 36
Alcohol & Drugs5 titles42–55 · median 49 · moderateheavier than most filmsMedian of all films: 33
Frightening / Intense5 titles33–48 · median 33 · mildnear the median of all filmsMedian of all films: 39

Severity 0–100 from the Content Guide. Categories with under 10 votes on a title are not counted. The band's colour is the severity of their median, named beside it.

Who does James M. Cain work with?

People who share at least 2 of James M. Cain's MovieCove titles, grouped by what they did on them; W.S. Van Dyke shares the most, 2.

Directors

Writers

Actors

Editors

Producers