Cry of the City

Critics Consensus

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92%

TOMATOMETER

Total Count: 13

84%

Audience Score

User Ratings: 324
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Movie Info

The opening scene of Robert Siodmak's grim film noir depicts police lieutenants Candella (Victor Mature) and Collins (Fred Clark) observing wounded cop killer Martin Rome (Richard Conte) receive last rites. Though Rome recovers, he still must elude Candella and Collins in his desperate attempt to escape his fate. Rome has two visitors in the hospital: his girlfriend, Teena (Debra Paget), who goes into hiding, and Niles (Berry Kroeger), a crooked lawyer. Niles tries to bribe Rome to take a jewel theft and homicide rap for a client of his since Rome is facing the electric chair anyway. When Rome refuses, Niles threatens to frame Teena as the client's female accomplice. Worried that Candella might find Teena, Rome breaks out of jail and goes to Niles' office to accept the offer, but he actually plans to leave the country with Teena. When Niles reneges, Rome kills him, but not before learning the accomplice's identity and discovering the stolen jewels in the lawyer's safe. Rome finds the accomplice, Rose Given (Hope Emerson), and offers to trade the jewelry for the means to leave the country. She agrees, and they arrange a meeting in the subway, but Rome informs Candella of the plan. When the police arrive, Candella is shot, Rose is arrested, and Rome escapes to meet up with Teena in a church. As he is trying to convince Teena to run away with him, a wounded Candella shows up and tells Teena how Rome uses people and that everyone who helped in his escape will be paying a price. Teena rejects Rome, and he runs again, only to be shot down by Candella. The moral order is ultimately restored, but no one has been left unscarred.
  • Rating:
    NR
  • Genre:
    Classics, Drama, Mystery & Suspense
  • Directed By:
    Robert Siodmak
  • Written By:
    Richard Murphy
  • In Theaters:
     wide
  • Runtime:
  • Studio:
    Century Fox

Cast

Victor Mature
as Lt. Candella
Richard Conte
as Martin Rome
Shelley Winters
as Brenda Martingale
Debra Paget
as Teena Riconti
Fred Clark
as Lt. Collins
Betty Garde
as Mrs. Pruett
Berry Kroeger
as W.A. Niles
Tommy Cook
as Tony Rome
Hope Emerson
as Rose Given
Roland Winters
as Ledbetter
Walter S. Baldwin
as Orvy
June Storey
as Miss Boone
Tito Vuolo
as Papa Roma
Mimi Aguglia
as Mama Roma
Dolores Castle
as Rosa
Claudette Ross
as Rosa's Daughter
Tiny Francone
as Perdita
Elena Savonarola
as Francesca
Thomas Ingersoll
as Priest
Vito Scotti
as Julio
Konstantin Shayne
as Dr. Veroff
Howard Freeman
as Sullivan
Robert Karnes
as Intern
Charles Tannen
as Intern
Oliver Blake
as Caputo
Antonio Filauri
as Vaselli
Joan Miller
as Vera
Ken Christy
as Loomis
Eddie Parks
as Mike
Charles Wagenheim
as Counterman
Kathleen Howard
as Mrs. Fruett's Mother
Jane Nigh
as Nurse
Martin Begley
as Bartender
Michael J. Sheridan
as Detective
Emil Rameau
as Dr Niklas
John Cortay
as Policeman
George Melford
as Barber
Harry Carter
as Elevator operator
Robert Adler
as Man
Harry Seymour
as Man
Ruth Clifford
as Nurse
Tom Moore
as Doctor
André de Beranger
as Barber
Michael Stark
as Cop
Ed Hinton
as Cop
George Magrill
as Cop
Davison Clark
as Mounted policeman
Helen Troya
as Girl
Thomas Nello
as Julio
View All

Critic Reviews for Cry of the City

All Critics (13) | Top Critics (7) | Fresh (12) | Rotten (1)

  • The beauty of Siodmak's film is how it objectively observes how a man acts with the spectre of death on his shoulder.

    April 23, 2015 | Rating: 5/5 | Full Review…

    David Jenkins

    Little White Lies
    Top Critic

  • In luscious blacks and whites, this film noir thriller takes place in Little Italy, New York, and is a precursor to the cinema of Scorsese, with a touch of Hitchcock in its affectionate embrace of man's dark side.

    April 16, 2015 | Rating: 4/5 | Full Review…

    Kate Muir

    Times (UK)
    Top Critic

  • The sequences on the rainy, neon-lit streets of downtown Manhattan are brought off with exhilarating flair and the two men's closeup confrontations have power and punch.

    April 16, 2015 | Rating: 4/5 | Full Review…

    Peter Bradshaw

    Guardian
    Top Critic

  • Film noir doesn't get much murkier than Robert Siodmak's 1948 New York-set immigrant story.

    April 13, 2015 | Rating: 4/5 | Full Review…

    Tom Huddleston

    Time Out
    Top Critic

  • It's an exciting motion picture, credibly put together to wring out every bit of strong action and tension inherent in such a plot.

    October 18, 2008 | Full Review…

    Variety Staff

    Variety
    Top Critic

  • Riveting example of Siodmak's skill not only in transforming indifferent material, but in giving the feel of studio noir to location shooting.

    February 10, 2007 | Full Review…
    Time Out
    Top Critic
View All Critic Reviews (13)

Audience Reviews for Cry of the City

  • Apr 14, 2020
    Another film noir gem that goes largely unnoticed by many fans of the genre. There are spectacular on-location scenes (New York), solid performances by the leads Victor Mature and Richard Conte and a storyline that treats the subject matter with depth and little notice to Hollywood tropes.
    Aldo G Super Reviewer
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