Movie Review: Cry Of The City (1948)

Genre: Noir Crime Drama  

Director: Robert Siodmak  

Starring: Victor Mature, Richard Conte, Shelley Winters, Debra Paget  

Running Time: 95 minutes  

Synopsis: Criminal Martin Rome (Richard Conte) is badly wounded and in police custody after killing a cop in a botched robbery. Police Lieutenant Vittorio Candella (Victor Mature) was Martin's childhood friend, and now questions him about another heist involving precious jewelry. Slimy lawyer Niles (Berry Kroeger) wants Martin to confess to the jewelry theft, which would implicate Martin's lover Teena Ricante (Debra Paget). She becomes the target of a police hunt, and Martin plots an escape to reveal the truth. 

What Works Well: A textured script (by Richard Murphy and Ben Hecht) is full of ambiguous motivation layers supplementing director Robert Siodmak's investment in doomed noir fundamentals. Martin Rome is identified early as a cop killer destined for the electric chair, but emerges as a complex protagonist driven by an unlikely love and willing to do the dirty work for others. Shady characters lurk in every corner, including Niles the lawyer, Brenda (Shelley Winters) the midnight lady, a shifty prison trusty (Walter Baldwin), a foreign doctor (Konstantin Shayne) providing questionable services, and Martin's impressionable younger brother Tony (Tommy Cook). Towering over them all is a giant masseuse (Hope Emerson) who redefines "handful". Emotional ties are woven through a friendship-from-childhood between Lieutenant Candella and Martin's family, adding nuance to some gorgeously filmed New York nighttime streetscapes.

What Does Not Work As Well: The characters just keep on coming - late into the third act, Siodmak is still finding new people and new places to introduce. And in a packed agenda, the editing and pacing demonstrate a tendency to overemphasize minor points.

Conclusion: The city's cry echoes with dazzling desperation.



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Movie Review: Broken Arrow (1950)

Genre: Western

Director: Delmer Daves

Starring: James Stewart, Jeff Chandler, Debra Paget

Running Time: 93 minutes

Synopsis: In Arizona of the 1870s, ex-Union Army scout Tom Jeffords (James Stewart) heals an Apache youth, earning a reputation for compassion. Despite the vicious war raging between the Apache tribe and settlers, Tom reaches out to Apache leader Cochise (Jeff Chandler) to negotiate safe passage for mail carriers. Tom also falls in love with young Apache woman Sonseeahray (Debra Paget). But with deep suspicions on both sides, building a lasting peace will remain a challenge.

What Works Well: Inspired by Jeffords' actual life adventures as chronicled in Elliot Arnold's book Blood Brother, Broken Arrow treats the Apache with notable sympathy. The Albert Maltz screenplay never hedges: the natives are defending their land and families from aggressive invaders, and most of the irredeemable white characters treat the Apache with subhuman disdain; the quest for peace is consequently challenged by both sides. Director Delmer Daves invests plenty of time appreciating tribal culture (doubtless Hollywoodized), including touching wedding vows. Ernest Palmer's cinematography makes excellent use of Arizona locations, and the tendency for thoughtfulness does not preclude traditional Western action set-pieces.

What Does Not Work As Well: The final chapter crams personal and epochal resolutions into a rushed few minutes. Consistent with the cinematic era, the main Native American characters are played by white actors with tan makeup, although Cochise's rival Geronimo is portrayed by Indigenous Canadian Jay Silverheels. The romantic subplot is tender, but partners 16-year-old Debra Paget with the 41-year-old Stewart.

Conclusion: An impressive leap forward in the depiction of a defining culture clash.

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