Cry of the City (1948) :
Brief Review -
Some cry, some laugh at the trademark film noir of dark night player Robert Siodmak. Almost all the majorly known films of Siodmak have that darkness and night to capture, no matter what the story is. Mostly, it's a crime world, so it's a good excuse for him to get away. But I feel some of his films are boosted by the same night watchman thing. Cry of the City falls into the same category, and it's an engaging flick too, but it lacks some hardcore seriousness. Like I said, some cry and some laugh. Those laughs shouldn't have been there because they don't belong to the dark film noir genre in the crime world. The film is about a criminal who has killed a cop and is now admitted to the hospital. There are more charges against him than the murder of a cop, but he just doesn't accept any of them since he knows that he can't go to the chair twice. Well, to add more dramatic conflict and take the story forward, he escapes from the police's eyes. Now that's strange and too easy for him, and he does it again and again. For once, I might have overlooked this flaw, but again and again? No, definitely not. Then, the officer who is trying to capture him is on his tail throughout the film and is finally shot in a raid. That wounded man, with a strong dose of sedation, flees from the hospital just to catch the criminal. Can you believe it? I mean, who does that? A big laugh. And how poorly this entire process goes on and somehow reaches its conclusion. The script didn't really work for me, but the screenplay did. There may be fewer twists, but the pace and thrills are there. Victor Mature and Richard Conte's performances held me well for 95 minutes, while others just passed their time for the screen's sake. This may not be one of Robert Siodmak's best works, but it is not that bad or mediocre either. My night player knew how to hit better than this.
RATING - 6/10*
By - #samthebestest.
Some cry, some laugh at the trademark film noir of dark night player Robert Siodmak. Almost all the majorly known films of Siodmak have that darkness and night to capture, no matter what the story is. Mostly, it's a crime world, so it's a good excuse for him to get away. But I feel some of his films are boosted by the same night watchman thing. Cry of the City falls into the same category, and it's an engaging flick too, but it lacks some hardcore seriousness. Like I said, some cry and some laugh. Those laughs shouldn't have been there because they don't belong to the dark film noir genre in the crime world. The film is about a criminal who has killed a cop and is now admitted to the hospital. There are more charges against him than the murder of a cop, but he just doesn't accept any of them since he knows that he can't go to the chair twice. Well, to add more dramatic conflict and take the story forward, he escapes from the police's eyes. Now that's strange and too easy for him, and he does it again and again. For once, I might have overlooked this flaw, but again and again? No, definitely not. Then, the officer who is trying to capture him is on his tail throughout the film and is finally shot in a raid. That wounded man, with a strong dose of sedation, flees from the hospital just to catch the criminal. Can you believe it? I mean, who does that? A big laugh. And how poorly this entire process goes on and somehow reaches its conclusion. The script didn't really work for me, but the screenplay did. There may be fewer twists, but the pace and thrills are there. Victor Mature and Richard Conte's performances held me well for 95 minutes, while others just passed their time for the screen's sake. This may not be one of Robert Siodmak's best works, but it is not that bad or mediocre either. My night player knew how to hit better than this.
RATING - 6/10*
By - #samthebestest.