Director: Robert Siodmak
Starring: Victor Mature, Richard Conte, Fred Clark
Runtime: 95 min
Sound Mix: Mono
BBFC Certificate: 12
Director Robert Siodmak made some of the darkest and most interesting film noirs of that great period and, while City isn’t his masterpiece, it’s up there as a powerful slice of 1940s mood. All the elements are there – the dark, rain-lashed streets, the loner cop, the glamorous dame, the booze, the sleaze – but what sets this apart is the unusually sympathetic portrayal of the villain, and the importance of the female characters. Even a nurse, a very minor character (Betty Guarde), has some telling lines and quite a presence.
Richard Conte is the flawed anti-hero, a villain shot to pieces and recuperating in hospital. His lawyer Niles tries to convince him he is going to the chair, so if he confesses to another crime his family will get a heap of cash. Conte refuses and escapes, but hot on his tail is Lt Candella (a superb Victor Mature), the classic world-weary cop but still with a sliver of empathy. The two men engage in an emotional and physical tug of war, across a dark New York skyline and with a bag of jewels somewhere in the mix.
Siodmak’s masterpiece is probably the marvellous The Killers (1946), but his lesser-known film Criss Cross is a brilliant study of racism in America. This story doesn’t match those in terms of power or importance, it’s more of a cop caper and study of masculinity, but it’s still well worth a watch for the period detail. Veteran film noir-writer Ben Hecht worked on the film’s script but is not credited – he is best-known for The Front Page, but there is none of that trademark humour here, but still plenty for noir fans to get their teeth into.
It also features an early appearance from Shelley Winters, who makes quite an impression, especially in an extended sequence when she tries to help the stricken, bleeding hero, driving him around a cold, unfriendly New York trying to find a doctor crooked enough to look after him.
Overall verdict: A welcome addition to anyone’s film noir collection.
Special features
Presented in High Definition
Original theatrical trailer
Audio commentary with Adrian Martin
Adrian Wootton on Cry of the City (2016, 26 mins): a newly filmed appreciation by the critic and chief executive of Film London
Illustrated booklet with full film credits and a new writing by Frank Krutnik
Reviewer: Mike Martin
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