City That Never Sleeps (1953)

“When I first came to this town I was gonna be – oh, there were a lot of things I was gonna do. Become famous. But Chicago’s the big melting pot, and I got melted, but good.” – Sally ‘Angel Face’ Connors

Number of Times Seen – 1 (12 Aug 2019)

Brief Synopsis – A policeman frustrated with his job and his life decides to run away with a dancer, but his last night on the job is filled with lots of criminals and intrigue.

My Take on it – This is a film that I came across by accident and the premise sounded interesting.

As a crime noir film, it works quiet well even if the story line that they give us is heavily loaded with numerous side stories that eventually are all tied together nicely

The cast of the film is quite convincing and the two standouts are Gig Young in the lead and Wally Cassell as the “Mechanical Man”.

The story finds itself getting a bit too confusing and convoluted as things move forward due to the numerous roles and story line yet they find a way to reach a balance that helps make the direction seem quite plausible and realistic.

Another drawback of so many characters is the fact that none of them have enough time to be developed so they almost all feel like stereotypes or caricatures.

Nevertheless, we still get a clear idea as to what each of them are trying to accomplish and who they truly are beneath the surface.

They do a nice job here of showing the way that the night life in a busy city can be constant throughout the night and how a police shift in this town never seems boring.

Bottom Line – Nice noir thriller that works despite the story being overloaded with too many story lines. The cast is quite good and Young stands out in the lead as does Casell as the “mechanical man”. The story gets a bit convoluted along the way, but they manage to find a way to bring together all of the various story lines to satisfying conclusion that feel plausible. Due to the fact that the story has so many characters, none feel developed enough along the way, but we still get a clear idea of who each of them are and what they are trying to achieve or accomplish along the way. Recommended!

MovieRob’s Favorite Trivia – At least twice in the film the word “hood,” denoting a small-time criminal, is used in which it is pronounced to rhyme with “food.” The word in that usage and pronunciation originated in Chicago, where the film is set, although nationwide it means the same but is mainly pronounced to rhyme with “good.” (From IMDB)

Rating – Globe Worthy (7/10)