Review of The Naked City (1948) by Antonius B — 20 May 2018

Director Jules Dassin delivers a strong detective film in 'The Naked City', a film often described as noir, but which is less hardboiled than others in the genre. The murders at the beginning of the film over deadpan narration are cold-blooded enough, and I loved how the film had such a sense of realism in the methodical police investigation which follows.

There are excellent shots all over New York, in the air and on the ground, for which William H. Daniels would win an Oscar for cinematography. There aren't any big stars in the cast, and that adds to the film's appeal, though unfortunately the quality of the acting varies (for example, check out Dorothy Hart's reaction to finding out her friend is dead).

Anchoring it all is Barry Fitzgerald, who turns in a strong performance as the veteran Irish-American detective, mentoring a younger cop (Don Taylor), dealing with various crackpots, and putting the squeeze on a habitual liar (Howard Duff), all with wry humor.

Dassin was a couple of years away from being blacklisted in Hollywood, and seven from making the iconic Rififi in France, and one can see parallels in how tight and realistic the storytelling is between the two films.

Intelligent and stands the test of time ... and oh, I loved that last line - "There are eight million stories in the city; this has been one of them.".