Review of Where the Sidewalk Ends (1950) by Stu B — 25 Aug 2018
A taut little cops-and-crime-lords vehicle for Dana Andrews, who stars as a hot-headed New York City detective called in to investigate a murder at a floating crap game, kills a witness to the crime in self-defense, and tries to cover it up.
Andrews, tight-lipped and haunted, is fine; Gene Tierney is beautiful and subtle as his paramour; and Gary Merrill is quietly creepy as the mob boss. With Karl Malden as the newly-minted police lieutenant following the wrong trail on both murders.
Enough slanted fedoras and hardboiled dialogue to make Philip Marlowe blush with pride. Nicely directed by Otto Preminger, and beautifully shot in moody black-and-white by Joseph LaShelle. The somewhat sappy ending defies credibility (ah, the yearnings of the human heart!), but an entertaining ride until then.
This review of Where the Sidewalk Ends (1950) was written by Stu B on 25 Aug 2018.
Where the Sidewalk Ends has generally received very positive reviews.
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