Groundbreaking and controversial when it was first released, The Man With the Golden Arm seems relatively tame by modern standards. The sequence in which Frankie kicks drugs still has power because of the strength of Frank Sinatra's performance, and the film isn't necessarily less effective because it doesn't show explicit details of drug use (e.g., it shows Frankie's face when he injects himself instead of showing the actual needle going into his arm). However, the story is weighed down by Hollywood melodrama and a particularly hokey ending. Also, the film's pacing is slow -- around a half hour could have been trimmed without harming the film -- and the discrepancy between the minimal, artificial-looking sets and the "realistic" subject matter is somewhat jarring. Nelson Algren himself said that he was displeased with the adaptation of his novel, and many modern viewers will probably find the movie to be somewhat dated. It's still a fairly entertaining yarn, nonetheless, and Sinatra's high-strung, fidgety performance is one of the highlights of his film career. Also, Darren McGavin gives a magnetic performance as the drug pusher Louie; Elmer Bernstein contributes a fine, albeit somewhat intrusive, jazzy score; and Saul Bass does a great job with the titles.