Graham Corey (Jay Patterson), a jealous co-worker. In a subplot, it is explained that Lang's college tuition was being paid for by Fitzwaring; despite having shot Lang's father years ago in self defense after he broke in to her home and killed her husband. Lang's death is a harsh blow to both Fitzwaring and her irresponsible daughter, Cookie, who in a drunken rant reveals her and Lang's sexual escapades. Later, after a skirmish with Bernard results in Cookie's unfortunate death, Fitzwaring finally reveals to Cornell that Lang was her son from a previous marriage she walked away from to marry her wealthy late husband, without actually finalising the divorce with her former spouse. When the jilted lover brought this revelation to Mr Fitzwaring, he threatened to cut her off from their daughter, forcing Fitzwaring to shoot both men to silence them. With both her son and daughter dead, Fitzwarring ends her own life through suicide. Back at the police station, Cornell has solved the crime. His friend Hal Petersham had read and was so impressed by Nick Lang's manuscript that he decided to kill Lang and steal the novel for himself. However, this involved killing anyone who knew that Lang was the original author, including Cornell and his wife, who was in possession of a copy Lang had given her. The tragic irony for Cornell is that due to weariness, he instead gave Lang's novel a pass without ever having read it. Petersham however shows no remorse, callously stating it was Cornell's own fault that he believed he had. After a scuffle, Cornell shoots Petersham, who then falls to his death out his office window. Cornell resigns himself to his fate. Cast Dennis Quaid as Professor Dexter Cornell Meg Ryan as Sydney Fuller Daniel Stern as Hal Petersham Charlotte Rampling as Mrs. Fitzwaring Jane Kaczmarek as Gail Cornell Christopher Neame as Bernard Robin Johnson as Cookie Fitzwaring Robert Knepper as Nicholas Lang Brion James as Detective Ulmer Jack Kehoe as Detective Brockton Jay Patterson as Graham Corey John Hawkes as Sloane Reception Box office D.O.A. debuted at No. 3 at the US box office. By the end of its run, the film earned a total of $12.7 million in domestic sales. Critical response D.O.A. opened to mixed reviews. On Rotten Tomatoes, it has an approval rating of 60% based on 20 reviews, with an average rating of 5.1/10. Audiences surveyed