Cry of the City (1948)

Simply A Masterpiece

Powerful

An Exercise In Nonsense

It is a whirlwind of delight --- attractive actors, stunning couture, spectacular sets and outrageous parties.

Lieutenants Victor Mature (Candella) and Fred Clark (Collins) get to gangster and cop-killer Richard Conte's (Martin) hospital bedside because they want to bust his backside and get information regarding a couple of crimes. He's not the sort to play ball, though, and gives them the slip. Mature gets on his case despite there being a family friendship.The story seems a little empty and the film never really kicks into gear. The cast are good but the storyline is unrealistic and uninteresting. Family friends take a different life-path - one good and one bad - leading to a showdown in the end. Even the climax is horribly contrived. Nothing very memorable but the cast make it ok for a single viewing to pass some time.

This is film-noir at its best. In fact, this is the way they used to make great films.Victor Mature, as the cop, and Richard Conte, the criminal, star in this terrific film.The film shows that despite an excellent upbringing by a Conservative Italian Catholic family, Conte chose a life of crime and he is about to be joined by his kid brother who idolizes him.When Conte breaks out of jail, the fun really begins with everyone in hot pursuit for him.The picture is aided by a fine supporting cast. Hope Emerson, who was Oscar nominated in 1951 for "Caged," shows her mettle here as a hard-boiled tough lady involved in a jewel heist. This must have been Shelley Winters' first film and she makes the most out of it as one of the many Conte girls who drives him around. Debra Paget, who is only 15 years of age here, plays a sweet, innocent thing involved with Conte. She is the love of his life. Bette Garde, so memorable as Wanda Skutnik in "Call Northside 777" plays a nurse who shields Paget. We have Fred Clark as a fellow cop in a pretty serious role for him.What makes this film so good is that it shows how innocent, decent people could be drawn into Conte's web. The bullets may fly in this film but they're well on target.

Very fine noir. From beginning to end this character driven tale is very well told with some solid performances, dialogue and location shooting. Maybe this lacks a little 'action' but it is gripping and suspenseful in places nevertheless. Everyone is believable, even the kid, and that's a rarity. Richard Conte's performance as the truly ruthless bad guy is quite majestic and Victor Mature, as the ever on his heels good cop, does well to keep up, in both senses of the word. Even the smaller parts are great, including a lovely performance (which I understand was virtually all removed from the US release) from Shelley Winters. It is an almost nothing part and easily cut but she plays the moll so well, with a mixture of caring, humour and concern for her own safety. I was astonished that the several family scenes did not slip into sentimentality and even increased ones general concern for all concerned. Great street scenes, busy ones too and including shots of overhead railway. Really good, attention grabbing noir of the first order.

In New York, when the cop killer Martin Rome (Richard Conte) arrives in the hospital badly wounded, the lawyer W.A. Niles (Berry Kroeger) unsuccessfully tries to convince him to confess the robbery of a collection of jewels and the death of the owner. Along the night, Martin's girlfriend Teena Riconti (Debra Paget) sneaks and visits him. Later Niles threatens Martin telling that he would catch Teena to force her to assume the other crime. When Martin escapes from the hospital, Lieutenant Candella (Victor Mature), who is an old friend of the Rome family, investigates the case and has to chase Martin."Cry of the City" is a moralist police story, with the fight between good, represented by Lt. Candella, and evil, represented by Martin Rome. Both characters have the same origins in the lower class neighborhood, but follow different paths of law: while Candella accepts to earn a low salary and "sleep well at night", the manipulative Martin uses people and prefers to taste the pleasures of life whatever the final price is. Their duel has a predictable and corny conclusion, but the story is engaging and supported by a beautiful black and white cinematography and good acting. My vote is seven.Title (Brazil): "Uma Vida Marcada' ("A Marked Life")