NIGHT AND THE CITY (1950)

Film noir at its noirest. It's a brutal film set in London in the world of wrestling promoters. The opening shot is very similar to that of the same year's THE ASPHALT JUNGLE: we see a man running from unseen persuers through shadowy city streets. In this film, it's Richard Widmark, a small-time American hood who does menial work for club owner Francis L. Sullivan. Widmark has big ideas but no brains or other helpful resources--aside from being able to finagle small sums of money from his long-suffering girl friend Gene Tierney (in a small and totally thankless role). He is described by casual friend Hugh Marlowe as "an artist without an art." Widmark decides to get into the wrestling world by promoting Greco-Roman matches with an aging wrestler (Stanislaus Zbyszko) and his young protege. To get seed money, he cons Sullivan's wife (Googie Withers) out of some dough by selling her a forged nightclub license so she can open her own club and get away from her husband. Wrestling big wig Herbert Lom (who is also Zbyszko's son) doesn't think much of Widmark, and later, when Lom's father runs into trouble, Lom blames Widmark, sealing the hood's fate. The only non-sleazy characters are the incredibly colorless Tierney and Marlowe, who aren't really part of Widmark's world. The climactic wrestling scene is powerful and looks painfully real. The acting is solid, especially Sullivan and Withers as a couple stuck inextricably in the hell of each other. The movie has noir atmosphere to burn: shadows, grimacing faces in close-up, and lots of sweat and seediness. [FMC]