Why do I keep forgetting that I've seen so many Jules Dassin movies? Did I just assume I'd know more in French than in English, because I started with Rififi? (The man was born in Connecticut, for crying out loud.) Or is it just that none of them live up to that one in my mind? Anyway, this one came out the year between The Naked City and Night and the City, so you could bet it's urban and noir.
Nick (Richard Conte) returns from war to find his produce-farming father legless from a vehicle accident and almost certainly swindled by San Francisco-based dealer Figlia (Lee J. Cobb). Nick decides with neighbor Ed (Millard Mitchell) to take two truckloads of in-demand apples to Figlia and drive a harder bargain than Nick's dad did. AFAICT, that's the extent of the justice Nick has in mind. But he underestimates what depths Figlia will go to for extra profit.
Showing posts with label lee j cobb. Show all posts
Showing posts with label lee j cobb. Show all posts
Saturday, August 31, 2019
Saturday, December 3, 2016
Call Northside 777 (1948)
It had been a month and a half since my last B&W film, so I decided to watch one of the few such entries on my Netflix streaming list. All I could recall about this one offhand was that it starred James Stewart and had a noirish look to it. The next big thing I learned, after the opening credits, was that it's a true story (albeit with a few identifying details changed for legal reasons) shot in the actual locations whenever possible. Reportedly, it's the first Hollywood movie shot entirely in Chicago.
P.J. McNeal (Stewart) of the Chicago Times is assigned to interview an old woman who advertises a $5,000 reward for any information that could exonerate her son, Frank Wiecek (Richard Conte), convicted of murdering a policeman back in the Prohibition Era. The resulting article makes waves. At first McNeal is rather sour about it, because he still believes Wiecek to be guilty, but his attempt to acquire info that would put an end to the media love affair only casts doubt on the verdict. Soon he's digging up anything he can to get a definite answer, which he hopes is innocence. But since it took 11 years for Mrs. Wiecek to save up the 5K, it's not easy to find what he wants.
P.J. McNeal (Stewart) of the Chicago Times is assigned to interview an old woman who advertises a $5,000 reward for any information that could exonerate her son, Frank Wiecek (Richard Conte), convicted of murdering a policeman back in the Prohibition Era. The resulting article makes waves. At first McNeal is rather sour about it, because he still believes Wiecek to be guilty, but his attempt to acquire info that would put an end to the media love affair only casts doubt on the verdict. Soon he's digging up anything he can to get a definite answer, which he hopes is innocence. But since it took 11 years for Mrs. Wiecek to save up the 5K, it's not easy to find what he wants.
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