The Underworld Story

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Steve D Far, far too much overacting. Rated 0.5/5 Stars •  Rated 0.5 out of 5 stars 01/22/24 Full Review Audience Member Outlandish plot, but a tense movie. Last scene could be spun out a bit. Classic film noir. Rated 3.5/5 Stars •  Rated 3.5 out of 5 stars 01/26/23 Full Review s r The original screenplay alone makes it worth watching. Rated 3/5 Stars •  Rated 3 out of 5 stars 03/31/23 Full Review Audience Member The precursor to Billy Wilder's "The Big Carnival" (aka "Ace In The Hole") about the newspaper business betraying the public trust by feeding into its lower instincts. Wilder's film is the better of the two, but director Cy Endfield delivers what should have been a headline grabbing crime picture. Unfortunately, this film is not well known. Endfield's protagonist in "The Underground Story," is a deeply flawed reporter who cavorts with underground figures for his own personal gain. When a former employer, a powerful newspaper magnet, tries to hide a murder committed by his son and instead blame the crime on an African-American housekeeper Endfield's protagonist faces the moral and ethical dilemma of his life. The film's flaws are mainly in the casting. I don't buy Dan Duryea's performance in the lead role. Unlike Kirk Douglas in "The Big Carnival," Duryea is unable to transcend the material and give more weight to the character's journey. Even worse, for me, is the casting of Mary Anderson as the African-American character. Anderson is an excellent actor. You may remember her as the nurse in Alfred Hitchcock's "Lifeboat." But, Anderson is white. That's a problem. Although, clearly in 1950 this type of casting barely raised a whisper of an ejection, if at all. Nonetheless, this is Endfield's first of his powerful one-two punch against the news business. His "The Sound of Fury" released later in the same year, 1950, is the better of the two pictures, but both are worthy films of your time. Rated 3.5/5 Stars •  Rated 3.5 out of 5 stars 02/13/23 Full Review Read all reviews

The Underworld Story

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