99 River Street

Released Jan 1, 1953

1h 23m

Crime

Drama

Action

List

100%

7 Reviews

Tomatometer

80%

250+ Ratings

Audience Score

Cab driver and ex-boxer Ernie (John Payne) discovers his wife Pauline (Peggie Castle) has been cheating on him. Ernie is approached by actress friend Linda (Evelyn Keyes), who says that she needs his help because she killed a man during an audition. After rushing to the theater, Ernie discovers that Linda's desperate tale was the audition. As if that humiliation isn't enough, Ernie is then framed for Pauline's murder by her lover, jewel thief Victor Rawlins (Brad Dexter).

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Blobbo X

Ending not so noir. That ok, think Blobbo!

Rated 4 out of 5 stars

11/09/23

Full Review

Bill B

Over rated. Way too many dopey situations to be a gripping noir affair. Dexter plays a convincing villain, though, and most of the film I was waiting for someone to wipe the smirk off his face.

Rated 2.5 out of 5 stars

08/01/23

Full Review

Aldo G

John Payne delivers a knockout performance as a former prize fighter whose cheating wife gets involved with a jewel thief played by Brad Dexter. Evelyn Keyes has the unenviable task of trying to help Payne's character out of a frame up. The rest of the supporting cast of crime film veterans answer the bell and director Phil Karlson almost goes the distance but stumbles in the last five minutes.

Rated 3.5 out of 5 stars

05/19/23

Full Review

Audience Member

The greatest 01 hour: and 23 minutes ever!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

02/11/23

Full Review

s r

Well made, well acted and good plot. Really an underrated gem.

Rated 4 out of 5 stars

03/31/23

Full Review

stu b

John Payne stars as a washed-up fighter who makes ends meet by driving a cab; when his two-timing wife turns up dead in the back seat, he finds himself both on the run from the law (he's the primary suspect) and heading toward a showdown with the actual killer, his wife's jewel thief lover. Payne is riveting, tough in one scene, tormented in the next; Evelyn Keyes as the actress pal who falls for him is spunky and resourceful and altogether excellent; and Peggie Castle brings just the right amount of thinly-veiled frustration to the small but pivotal role of the wife. Inventive camera work and gorgeous black-and-white shots of darkened, rain-slicked streets--courtesy of ace cinematographer Franz Planer--make this a noir fan's dream. (The fight scenes--including the beautifully shot prizefight that opens the film--are something to see, too.) Well worth a look.

Rated 3.5 out of 5 stars

04/08/19

Full Review

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Phil Karlson

Director

John Payne

Ernie Driscoll

Evelyn Keyes

Linda James

Brad Dexter

Victor Rawlins

Frank Faylen

Stan Hogan

Peggie Castle

Pauline Driscoll

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Manny Farber

The Nation

The plot is routine, but the direction, which seems to dislike anything that smacks of the phrase "don't get excited,'' makes the picture worth seeing.

Nov 24, 2020

Full Review

Nicholas Bell

IONCINEMA.com

A romantic-tinged noir focusing on unabashed wash-outs and sell-outs, 99 River Street is a lot less hopeless than it initially seems on the surface, and is an enjoyable, minor genre gem.

Rated: 3/5

Oct 8, 2020

Full Review

Sean Axmaker

Stream on Demand

99 River Street, arguably Karlson's greatest film and certainly his most beautifully brutal, is a film driven by the fury of a man who is tired of being life's punching bag.

Jan 5, 2018

Full Review

Matt Brunson

Creative Loafing

Has any other cinematic genre offered as many buried treasures as film noir? Here's another unpolished gem to add to the stack.

Rated: 3.5/4

Jun 25, 2016

Full Review

Jeffrey M. Anderson

Combustible Celluloid

Phil Karlson directed series of very tough, violent film noirs, but few of them are as tough and violent as the superb 99 River Street.

Jul 16, 2010

Full Review

Michael E. Grost

Classic Film and Television

Strong thriller, pitting a boxer hero against jewel thieves.

Jan 31, 2010

Full Review

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Synopsis

Cab driver and ex-boxer Ernie (John Payne) discovers his wife Pauline (Peggie Castle) has been cheating on him. Ernie is approached by actress friend Linda (Evelyn Keyes), who says that she needs his help because she killed a man during an audition. After rushing to the theater, Ernie discovers that Linda's desperate tale was the audition. As if that humiliation isn't enough, Ernie is then framed for Pauline's murder by her lover, jewel thief Victor Rawlins (Brad Dexter).

Director: Phil Karlson
Screenwriter: Robert Smith, George Zuckerman
Distributor: United Artists
Production Co: United Artists
Genre: Crime, Drama, Action
Original Language: English
Release Date (Theaters): Jan 1, 1953, Wide
Release Date (Streaming): May 17, 2017
Runtime: 1h 23m
Sound Mix: Mono

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