Night and the City

1950 British noir

Rating: 16/20

Plot: The night could be any night. The city is London. And Harry Fabian is an artist without an art, a two-bit hustler with a big imagination, bigger aspirations, and big plans that generally go nowhere. He's got a gal, he's got a lousy job with a nasty boss, he's got the wife of that nasty boss who apparently has the hots for him, and after he runs into a legendary wrestler, he thinks he has the perfect plan to weasel his way into being the top wrestling promoter in all of London. It doesn't work out so well for him, however.

On paper, this is sort of a goofy story, but it turned out to be a very nice piece of noir, stylish and complex and layered. From a moody shadowy chase scene at the very beginning to an ending that is predictable because you know it can't end any other way, this is quality story-telling, very well written with rich characters and great seedy settings in the underbelly of London. This is a lame thing to type, but this seems like a Coen brothers' movie. Not a very large role for Tierney here.