Cry of the City (Siodmak, 1948): Cinema Museum, 7.30pm
This is a Kennington Noir evening with the film presented from a 16mm print.
BFI introduction:
An electrifying variation on the theme of a hoodlum (Conte) and a cop
(Mature) who knew one another as kids, it opens with the former
seriously wounded in hospital but determined to escape the police
watching over him; he needs to clear the name of his fiancée, who’s
suspected of a jewel robbery. While Conte, all insolent, menacing charm,
is especially magnificent, and Mature invests the detective’s pursuit
with unsettling hints of obsession, the movie fields a glorious gallery
of shady figures, from a lawyer oozing corruption to a memorably
sadistic masseuse. The steely realism is enhanced by flourishes of noir
stylisation. A classic awaiting rediscovery.
Geoff Andrew
Here (and above) is the trailer.
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