Moustroll Good movie but grossly overrated

filippaberry84 I think this is a new genre that they're all sort of working their way through it and haven't got all the kinks worked out yet but it's a genre that works for me.

Hayden Kane There is, somehow, an interesting story here, as well as some good acting. There are also some good scenes

Candida It is neither dumb nor smart enough to be fun, and spends way too much time with its boring human characters.

mark.waltz Up there with the 1946 sleeper "Somewhere in the Night", this is one of the best lesser known thrillers of 20th Century Fox's film noir collection. Film noir festivals should focus more on the more obscure films like this since everybody who studies the noir genre has seen the classics like "Double Indemnity", "Laura", "The Big Sleep" and "Detour", to name a few. This practically completely dark film noir is set mostly at night and shows New York City at its most depraved and mysterious. It focuses on two long-time family friends, Victor Mature and Richard Conte, one on the right side of the law, the other accused of killing someone on the right side of the law, playing a game of cat and mouse where only death can bring peace for one of them. There is no doubt in my mind that a certain large actress got her most famous part after being seen in this film, one which could have brought her an Oscar nomination just like that famous part did just two years later.The person I am referring to is Hope Emerson, the amazon woman of the city who gives Swedish massages and could break someone's neck if she wanted to. Yes, this is "the" Hope Emerson whose unforgettable matron in "Caged" remains the quintessential evil prison employee yet could also be lovable and funny when the part called for it. While they do not share any scenes, her "Caged" rival Betty Garde is also here as a tough nurse whose involvement in the plot takes her from the hospital room where suspected cop killer Conte is convalescing to her home where Garde's mother (the always scene-stealing Kathleen Howard) spills some beans to Mature that helps move the plot along even further. It gets complicated, but not convoluted, and that keeps you gripped to the screen.There are two small roles for the film's "leading ladies", Shelley Winters as Conte's girlfriend and Debra Paget as a neighborhood girl who knew both Mature and Conte growing up. Tommy Cook is very Sal Mineo-esque in his role as Conte's younger brother, giving information over a drug store phone in Italian as Mature's partner (Fred Clark) listens in, obviously understanding enough. But for me, it is Emerson who steals this film with her long scene taking care of an exhausted Conte (having escaped), then using her brute force to get her hands on the jewels he had stolen before allegedly killing a cop, and ending up with a gun herself shooting randomly in a Manhattan subway station. Director Robert Siodmark, one of the masters of the film noir genre, leaves no stone unturned in presenting the darkness of society here, and as a result, turns in a masterpiece that really deserves to become a classic.

seymourblack-1 The message that "crime doesn't pay" is made very powerfully in this gritty crime drama which also acknowledges that wrongdoing isn't exclusively the preserve of recognised criminals. This point is brilliantly illustrated by a cast that includes a corrupt lawyer, an unlicensed doctor and a mature nurse who harbours someone who's wanted by the police. The presence of these types of characters highlights the various shades that exist between pure good and evil as well as showing how varied the motivations for wrongdoing can be. The natures of the movie's two leading characters, however, are far more straightforward.Cop killer Martin Rome (Richard Conte) is being cared for in a New York City hospital after having been seriously wounded during a shootout that took place when he was interrupted in the course of carrying out his latest robbery. Detective Lieutenant Vittorio Candella (Victor Mature) who grew up in the same neighbourhood as Rome and his partner Lieutenant Jim Collins (Fred Clark) soon arrive to interrogate the criminal who's not expected to survive.Candella questions Rome about a piece of jewellery that was found in his possession as it had been the property of a Mrs de Grazia who had recently been tortured and strangled before being relieved of her valuables. Rome denies any involvement in the crime but is also approached by a lawyer called W.A.Niles (Berry Kroeger) who tries to get him to confess to the crime to get one of his clients (who's also a suspect) off the hook. Rome is also visited in the hospital by his girlfriend Teena (Debra Paget) who isn't seen by the police officers.When Rome's condition starts to improve, he gets transferred to a prison from which he escapes and goes straight to Niles' office. There, he finds the de Grazia jewels in the lawyer's safe and after a confrontation between the two men, stabs Niles to death before leaving. Having learnt (from Niles) the identity of the real accomplice in the de Grazia robbery, Rome tracks down a masseuse called Rose Given (Hope Emerson) and offers her the stolen jewels in exchange for a couple of steamboat tickets for South America and $5,000 in cash. Rome then sets Given up to be apprehended by the police so that he and Teena will no longer be suspected of any involvement in the de Grazia case and can make their escape to South America. Candella, however, is a very determined man who has no intention of letting the cop killer escape justice."Cry of the City" contains a number of interesting observations on crime. As Candella and Rome had grown up together as childhood friends in New York's Little Italy, it posits that criminality isn't simply a consequence of social deprivation. Similarly, as Rome has a younger brother who hero-worships him, it clearly asserts that unless some third party intervention is made (in this case by Candella), there's a great danger of the boy simply following his hero into a life of crime. Rome comes from a large and very close-knit family and unusually for a movie of this type, the pain, anxiety and shame that they suffer as a consequence of his actions are strongly recognised.Visually, the movie's dark, rainy streets and neon lights are brilliantly rendered and will be greatly appreciated by film noir fans who will also enjoy the sequence in which the imposing Rose Given is introduced into the action.Victor Mature gives a very strong performance as the hardworking and seriously underpaid homicide detective who goes far beyond the basic requirements of his job and by so doing, benefits the lives of Teena and Rome's younger brother. Richard Conte is marvellous as the ruthless killer whose victims are far more numerous than the number of people he's actually killed or robbed and the members of the supporting cast are also exceptionally good as they vividly bring to life the particularly colourful collection of minor characters who add so much to the enjoyment of watching this great, gripping and thoughtful movie.

Martha Wilcox Despite having a good cast, this fails to be a good film. There are some good performances from Victor Mature and Debra Paget, and the director really makes Mature look as though he can act. Paget gives a grounded performance, and Richard Conte is doing what he is known for. There is a big lady who attempts to strangle Conte in the film. I remember seeing her in 'Westward the Women'. It's good seeing Mature square up against Conte. It's almost like 'Kiss of Death' where Richard Widmark challenges Mature. However, it is everything in between these challenging scenes that make this film dull. The problem is with the script rather than the performances. An actor can only pursue truth if the script is truthful. If the script is not truthful then the film is just a calling card of truthful performances.

Neil Doyle Robert Siodmak took to the city streets of New York for much of the location shooting in CRY OF THE CITY and it gives the whole story much more credence. Furthermore, the classic B&W photography of the city streets, a study in sunlight and shadows, heightens the tense mood and atmosphere of an engrossing crime story.VICTOR MATURE and RICHARD CONTE are adversaries, one good, the other bad, buddies who grew up together on the city streets. Mature is a police lieutenant whose mission it is to find Conte once he's escaped from jail, with most of the story involved in Mature's search for the ruthless thug who has committed several serious crimes including murder.The final scenes with Mature finally cornering Conte in a church are filled with high tension, thanks to director Siodmak's expert direction. He gets fully developed characterizations from his principal actors, as well as the supporting cast which includes FRED CLARK, DEBRA PAGET, TOMMY COOK, SHELLEY WINTERS and a standout turn from HOPE EMERSON as a woman intent on a jewel heist.New Yorkers will be especially interested in seeing the Third Ave. El appearing prominently in one of the lower Manhattan scenes, as well as other Manhattan shots that show the city as it existed in '48. A classic example of '40s film noir.