City That Never Sleeps [Blu-ray]

Brilliant Police Drama, Superb Final Twist
Gig Young was a highly talented film actor who suffered the misfortune of being type cast all too often as the "other man" rather than handling the lead, which he was more than capable of doing. When he won a well-deserved Oscar for the Depression mood piece "They Shoot Horses, Don't They?" it was in the Best Supporting Actor category.

In the brilliantly conceived and beautifully done 1953 Republic police drama "City That Never Sleeps" Young is the lead performer, and one with a challenging role of wearing his dissatisfaction as a Chicago policeman on his sleeve as he juggles two beautiful women, a loving wife at home and a nightclub exotic dancer with whom he considers fulfilling a dream of moving to California and starting a new life.

Mala Powers plays the role of the dancer. She has two men interested in marrying her and after Young initially fails to go the extra mile she tells him that she will instead go off with a co-worker who plays the role of a...

Limited Drama-Great Noir Photography
Young,a cynical,burned-out cop, wants to dump his small-time life and become a big shot like crooked lawyer Arnold. The hard-bitten desperation of the little guys, and the callous swankness of the well-healed feel alot like Asphalt Jungle. But the characterization isn't nearly as dimensional or powerful, and the actual dialogue is 'B' all the way.

But... don't go away... This is,camera-wise, a dynamite noir. Chicago lurks darkly, massively in the cold night with human faces illuminated from below with knife-edged clarity. The essential backdrops are there in spades; threatening stairwells and fire escapes, fancy nightclubs with sweaty backstage dressing rooms, fat cat penthouses with tastlessly bulbous furniture, and above all the empty, trash-strewn city streets and alleys.

If you go for Film Noir visually, this is a must-see ( the last chase is genuine 'A' quality.) Just remember- I warned ya about the script.

Chicago After Midnight
Film noir fans will positively delight in this sophisticated police drama with its gritty cityscapes and glaring depictions of graveyard-shift patrolling and lurid nightlife. Location photography and adept chiarscuro provide a palpable realism as fully fleshed-out characters cross paths through the nocturnal gloom, in a busy precinct station, cacophonous cabaret, swank evildoers' digs, and cavernous office building. Several less-developed, but colorful portrayals add to the texture of authenticity as they weave in and out of the action. The most intriguing of these is a model cum mechanical man who lures the curious to a nightclub. Whether he is real or not is a knottily noirish question....

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