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Product Description
Classic film-noir in which petty crook and cop-killer Martin Rome (Richard Conte), in bad shape from wounds in the hospital prison ward, refuses to help slimy lawyer Niles (Berry Kroeger) clear his client by confessing to another crime. Police Lt. Candella (Victor Mature) must check Niles' allegation; a friend of the Rome family, he walks a tightrope between sentiment and cynicism. When Martin fears Candella will implicate his girlfriend Teena (Debra Paget), he'll do anything to protect her. How many others will he drag down to disaster with him?
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Most Helpful Customer Reviews
21 of 27 people found the following review helpful
By Zoran Gonda
Format:DVD
It is a shame that BFI releases this important noir with such poor picture quality, far below their other releases.
Most Helpful Customer Reviews on Amazon.com (beta)
Amazon.com:
4.2 out of 5 stars
5 reviews
9 of 10 people found the following review helpful
4.0 out of 5 stars
Top notch forgotten film noir
22 Jan 2008
By Buster49
- Published on Amazon.com
I've seen this film many times when it was shown on tv years ago. It's a perfect candidate for dvd so I wonder why it is not available especially since 20th century Fox has been putting a number of their noirs on dvd. With the popularity of film noir and particualrly in the B category with many great titles, here is an A film that is terrific. It's no "Kiss of Death" but it is a definite thumbs up. I hope this isn't one of those annoying litigation situations which has denied us a number of superb films presently not available.
3 of 3 people found the following review helpful
5.0 out of 5 stars
Great film noir overdue for U.S. release
28 April 2009
By Phil Muse
- Published on Amazon.com
Amazon Verified Purchase
I had to wait as long for the shipment of this Brazilian release of this classic film noir to arrive as it took Noah to find dry land - forty days - but it was worth it. The movie asks the question what is so insidiously evil about the nature of crime, and answers it in the character of Martin Rome (Richard Conte, in a great performance). But Rome is such a charming character (and he HAS been framed for a murder he didn't commit), so it requires police lieutenant Candella (Victor Mature) to make the final assessment for us about all the people who have come to grief through helping this cunning criminal. A dark, provocative picture that is overdue for domestic release in TCF's Film Noir Collection. Considering its origin, the English subtitles in this foreign home video release are exceptionally good. And it is compatible with region 1, so you can safely view it on your U.S. DVD player.Film Noir Collection, Vol. 1
4 of 5 people found the following review helpful
5.0 out of 5 stars
Cry of the Ziti
10 Jun 2010
By ronzo
- Published on Amazon.com
CRY OF THE CITY (1948) is definitely a film I would purchase if it ever comes available on DVD.
The plot is common enough; Richard Conte plays a hood who has been caught, patched up in the prison hospital, and escapes. He finds and kills the lawyer who was trying to frame him for another robbery. The lawyer is played by Berry Kroeger (if Charles Laughton and Orson Welles had a love-child, it would be exactly like Kroeger). Victor Mature (as Lt. Candella) is out to bring Conte to justice.
By all accounts, it sounds rather run-of-the-mill; like something we've been through enough times before. But I think the difference may be Robert Siodmak, the director who also gave us THE SPIRAL STAIRCASE (1945), THE KILLERS (1946), and soon CRISS CROSS (1949). Perhaps it is also that Ben Hecht helped with the screenwriting (uncredited).
Whatever the reason, CRY OF THE CITY has an interesting texture. By that, I mean the noirs up until 1948 seem to be quite cold; the city is an unfeeling, uncaring character in the drama. But here, it is perceived more as a warm place that "cries" for the weak. And, as in PITFALL, the domestic situation plays an important role. The scenes with Conte's Italian tenement-based family members add quite a bit of local color. They remind us of what Conte has thrown away in his pursuit of crime. Recommended.
The plot is common enough; Richard Conte plays a hood who has been caught, patched up in the prison hospital, and escapes. He finds and kills the lawyer who was trying to frame him for another robbery. The lawyer is played by Berry Kroeger (if Charles Laughton and Orson Welles had a love-child, it would be exactly like Kroeger). Victor Mature (as Lt. Candella) is out to bring Conte to justice.
By all accounts, it sounds rather run-of-the-mill; like something we've been through enough times before. But I think the difference may be Robert Siodmak, the director who also gave us THE SPIRAL STAIRCASE (1945), THE KILLERS (1946), and soon CRISS CROSS (1949). Perhaps it is also that Ben Hecht helped with the screenwriting (uncredited).
Whatever the reason, CRY OF THE CITY has an interesting texture. By that, I mean the noirs up until 1948 seem to be quite cold; the city is an unfeeling, uncaring character in the drama. But here, it is perceived more as a warm place that "cries" for the weak. And, as in PITFALL, the domestic situation plays an important role. The scenes with Conte's Italian tenement-based family members add quite a bit of local color. They remind us of what Conte has thrown away in his pursuit of crime. Recommended.
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4.2 out of 5 stars
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