While the City Sleeps

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Robert S What a waste: A great director (Lang) and great actors (Dana Andrews, Ida Lupino, Howard Duff, Rhonda Fleming, George Sanders) but a plot so stupid, unbelievable, and disjointed that the movie left me shaking my head. Hard to believe that Lang, who made great movies such as M, Metropolis, and The Big Heat, could make such a clunker. Rated 1.5/5 Stars •  Rated 1.5 out of 5 stars 03/30/25 Full Review Shadowman4710 A fairly good crime drama about members of a media conglomerate trying to solve a serial killer's murder spree. Dana Andrews leads a first cast that includes, Rhonda Fleming, Ida Lupino, George Sanders, Vincent Price and Howard Duff. The acting is first rate and the direction is also good. The ending is a little and down right silly in spots but overall, it's a solid thriller. Rated 3.5/5 Stars •  Rated 3.5 out of 5 stars 09/04/23 Full Review Steve D Good idea bad script and characters. Rated 2/5 Stars •  Rated 2 out of 5 stars 07/05/23 Full Review deke p Newsroom drama, very complex. GREAT CAST. BTW, Howard Duff & Ida Lupino got married 5 years later in 1951. She looked beautiful & sophisticated in this one. Directed by FRITZ LANG! This has been on the tv set Movie Channel often. Saw it again 1.20.2022 Rated 3.5/5 Stars •  Rated 3.5 out of 5 stars 03/30/23 Full Review paul d I was a bit underwhelmed by Fritz Lang's While the City Sleeps. It has going for it two very strong and intertwined story lines, one about job competition, human deceit and manipulation, and the other a sordid crime mystery that everyone is trying to solve to help them advance their careers. While it is all highly improbable, these stories raise lots of interesting and important questions about people. But they couldn't overcome for me a rather dull look and feel. Visually it was straightforward and a bit boring, nothing like his top films. Perhaps they need a restored print to do it justice, or maybe Lang was deliberately moving against his signature style and went too far? In terms of the movie's "feel", the underlying cynicism weighs it down, and the "happy" ending was so incongruous that it seemed suspiciously like being a studio requirement. Despite a star-studded cast, only Rhonda Fleming and Howard Duff seemed natural and unmannered. Rated 3/5 Stars •  Rated 3 out of 5 stars 03/31/23 Full Review Audience Member A serial killer has been killing beautiful women in New York, and the new owner of a media company offers a high ranking job to the 1st administrator who can get the earliest scoops on the case. Fritz Lang is such an amazing director. His so motivated visually, perhaps that is from his work in silent films. Great screenplay, superb cinematography. The entire cast is great. Dana Andrews, George Sanders, Thomas Mitchell, Vincent Price, Howard Duff and the wondrous Ida Lupino. To call this lineup "powerhouse" would be understatement. Very effective score. While the City SleepsI is never dull and moves along at a great pace. Excellent film noir thriller. Rated 4/5 Stars •  Rated 4 out of 5 stars 01/14/23 Full Review Read all reviews

While the City Sleeps

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