Naked City
Genre: crime drama (in black and white)
With: Barry Fitzgerald (Det. Lt. Daniel Muldoon),
Howard Duff (Frank Niles), Dorothy Hart (Ruth Morrison), Don Taylor (James
Halloran), Frank Conroy (Capt. Sam Donahue), House Jameson (Dr. Lawrence
Stoneman), Anne Sargent (Janet Halloran), Ted de Corsia (Willy Garzah), Mark
Hellinger (the narrator)
Director: Jules Dassin
Screenplay: Albert Maltz and Malvin Wald (from a story by
Malvin Wald)
Release: 1948
Studio: Hellinger Productions, Universal
International Pictures
Rating: -
MBiS score: 8.5/10
QuickView
Story-line: after sunset in New York City, most people relax,
party on or work in the shadows for the benefit of others but a few use the
cover of darkness to indulge in criminal behaviour. On this particular night,
two men enter Jean Dexter’s apartment and murder the 26-year-old model for
reasons unknown and perfectly horrible. Looks like another difficult case for
Detective Lt. Muldoon and his colleagues at the NYPD...
Pluses: a strong cast led by a determined Barry
Fitzgerald, a well-structured and meticulous screenplay full of twists, turns
and briskly delivered dialogues, diligent and focused direction, sharp cinematography
(William Daniels), convenient production values and an evocative musical score by
Miklós Rózsa and Frank Skinner.
Minuses: none I can think of.
Comments: from its voice-over intro to its stunning climax, NAKED CITY is what movie experts describe as a police procedural. It follows Muldoon and his team as they learn the facts and gather evidence, interrogate witnesses and sift through statements, alibis and lies in an effort to crack this stumper of a crime case. Although methodical to a fault, Jules Dassin's account of police work maintains interest throughout and does honour to a throbbing city we call the Big Apple. Quality time for movie buffs.
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