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Cry of the City

Play trailer Poster for Cry of the City Released Sep 29, 1948 1h 35m Crime Drama Play Trailer Watchlist
Watchlist Tomatometer Popcornmeter
93% Tomatometer 14 Reviews 85% Popcornmeter 250+ Ratings
Martin Rome (Richard Conte) is a cop killer and jewel thief who escapes from prison, with two police detectives, Candella (Victor Mature) and Collins (Fred Clark), hot on his trail. Not only is Rome wanted for murder, he is now also accused of masterminding a major jewel robbery. On the run, Rome is helped by a sleazy lawyer (Berry Kroeger) and two girlfriends, Teena (Debra Paget) and Brenda (Shelley Winters). Rome's plan: recover the hidden jewels from his lawyer and leave the country.

Critics Reviews

View All (14) Critics Reviews
David Jenkins Little White Lies The beauty of Siodmak's film is how it objectively observes how a man acts with the spectre of death on his shoulder. Rated: 5/5 Apr 23, 2015 Full Review Kate Muir Times (UK) In luscious blacks and whites, this film noir thriller takes place in Little Italy, New York, and is a precursor to the cinema of Scorsese, with a touch of Hitchcock in its affectionate embrace of man's dark side. Rated: 4/5 Apr 16, 2015 Full Review Peter Bradshaw Guardian The sequences on the rainy, neon-lit streets of downtown Manhattan are brought off with exhilarating flair and the two men's closeup confrontations have power and punch. Rated: 4/5 Apr 16, 2015 Full Review David Nusair Reel Film Reviews ...a deliberately-paced drama that grows more and more compelling as it unfolds... Rated: 3/4 Feb 19, 2021 Full Review Adam Lowes CineVue Bold, uncompromising and brimming with powerful performances, Cry of the City is something of a forgotten classic Rated: 4/5 Apr 4, 2019 Full Review Sean Axmaker Seanax.com The urban atmosphere of city traffic and the scuffed and worn authenticity of real storefronts and sidewalks gives the film a charge of realism but Siodmak forgoes docurealism for his beloved expressionist style. Jan 28, 2017 Full Review Read all reviews

Audience Reviews

View All (20) audience reviews
Sam N A compelling noir centred on a cop and a criminal who share a childhood background but have taken very different paths. Robert Siodmak directs with assurance, creating a moody, atmospheric piece full of tension. Victor Mature gives a more nuanced performance than usual, while Richard Conte strikes a perfect balance between charisma and menace. Shelley Winters makes a memorable mid-film appearance, stealing her scene with ease. The final speech from Mature feels slightly contrived, but that’s a small flaw in an otherwise well-crafted and gripping crime drama. Cry of the City is a fine example of the genre. Rated 4 out of 5 stars 03/30/25 Full Review Angelo C New York back in the day. Love Victor Mature, believed he was a NYPD lieutenant. Rated 5 out of 5 stars 12/17/22 Full Review Audience Member Big buildings! How much weigh wonder Blobbo. Rated 3.5 out of 5 stars 01/17/23 Full Review paul d Robert Siodmak's Cry of the City is a great noir crime thriller and human drama. The movie manages to develop many different characters, so that we feel we know them and understand their point of view. It's set in New York's Italian immigrant community, and a great touch of realism is that many of the supporting cast are real Italians speaking genuine Italian. Victor Mature and especially Richard Conte do a fine job. They are genuine and believable and manage to pull off a morality tale without making it black and white, keeping the nuance and complexity of real people. Rated 4 out of 5 stars 03/31/23 Full Review s r A good film noir with a good plot, characters, acting and direction. The big woman masseuse "with the special touch wasted on fat, rich women" was my favorite part. Rated 3.5 out of 5 stars 03/31/23 Full Review Audience Member Another film noir gem that goes largely unnoticed by many fans of the genre. There are spectacular on-location scenes (New York), solid performances by the leads Victor Mature and Richard Conte and a storyline that treats the subject matter with depth and little notice to Hollywood tropes. Rated 4 out of 5 stars 02/13/23 Full Review Read all reviews
Cry of the City

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Cast & Crew

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Robert Siodmak

Director

Victor Mature

Lt. Candella

Richard Conte

Martin Rome

Shelley Winters

Brenda Martingale

Fred Clark

Lt Collins

Berry Kroeger

W.A. Niles

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Cry of the City

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Movie Info

Synopsis Martin Rome (Richard Conte) is a cop killer and jewel thief who escapes from prison, with two police detectives, Candella (Victor Mature) and Collins (Fred Clark), hot on his trail. Not only is Rome wanted for murder, he is now also accused of masterminding a major jewel robbery. On the run, Rome is helped by a sleazy lawyer (Berry Kroeger) and two girlfriends, Teena (Debra Paget) and Brenda (Shelley Winters). Rome's plan: recover the hidden jewels from his lawyer and leave the country.
Director
Robert Siodmak
Production Co
Twentieth Century Fox
Genre
Crime, Drama
Original Language
English
Release Date (Theaters)
Sep 29, 1948, Original
Release Date (DVD)
Oct 8, 2013
Runtime
1h 35m