Review of The Naked City (1948) by Josh J — 18 Apr 2008

Solid New York crime thriller follows a group of detecitives as they search for the killer of a model. Really gets down into the details of police work as they collect evidence and question witnesses and suspects.

Much different from other police thrillers of the time as this one is very procedural (and probably a heavy influence on modern TV shows like CSI and Law & Order.) Performances aren't great and the voice over was a little much at times, but the film does move at a fairly brisk pace and is very notable for director Jules Dassin's decision to shoot on location, never using a set, allowing New York to become another character all its own.