Get the MovieNight app
Add it to your home screen — faster & full screen
Get the MovieNight app
Add it to your home screen — faster & full screen
20th Century Fox
Not part of a collection.
From the heart of its people comes the ... cry of the city.
Petty crook and cop-killer Martin Rome, in bad shape from wounds in the hospital prison ward, still refuses to help slimy lawyer Niles clear his client by confessing to another crime. Police Lt. Candella must check Niles' allegation; a friend of the Rome family, he walks a tightrope between sentiment and cynicism. When Martin fears Candella will implicate his girlfriend Teena, he'll do anything to protect her. How many others will he drag down to disaster with him?
CinemaSerf
May 22, 2023 · via TMDB
Maybe not my first choice as leading man here, but to be fair to Victor Mature he turns in one of his better efforts as officer "Candella". When low-life "Rome" (Richard Conte) finds himself lying in an hospital bed, badly bruised and being pressured by the odious lawyer "Niles" (Barry Kroeger) to admit to a robbery he didn't commit, it falls to the policemen to try to verify who did/knew what - and soon we discover that we have a cop-killer to find. Now "Candella" has been an integral part of this close-knit community for a very long time. He is treated almost like a son by "Ma Rome" and is pretty conflicted as he balances what is right for his job with his local loyalties and his conscience. Things take a turn for the worse for "Rome" when his girlfriend "Teena" (Debra Paget) starts to become embroiled in the investigation and quickly he is faced with tough choices that could put lives at risk as they go into hiding before trying to flee. This is a well paced and scored thriller with an on form Conte rather effective as the borderline smug hoodlum gelling well with both the flighty Paget and the at times almost menacing Mature. It twists and turns a little, giving us a slight indication of the internecine fashion in which these "Little Italy" communities were built and thrived, and the denouement is not quite what you might expect. A tight cast help keep the story focussed and make for an intriguing crime drama with just a little bit extra.
User reviews courtesy of TMDB.
Victor Mature
Lt. Candella
Richard Conte
Martin Rome
Fred Clark
Lt Collins
Shelley Winters
Brenda Martingale
Betty Garde
Miss Pruett
Berry Kroeger
W. A. Niles
Tommy Cook
Tony Rome
Debra Paget
Teena Riconti
Hope Emerson
Rose Given
Roland Winters
Ledbetter
Walter Baldwin
Orvy
June Storey
Miss Boone, Nurse
Tito Vuolo
Papa Roma
Mimi Aguglia
Mama Roma
Oliver Blake
Mr. Masselli
Ruth Clifford
Nurse
Howard Freeman
Sullivan the Drunk
Kathleen Howard
Miss Pruett's Mother
Robert Karnes
Intern
Jane Nigh
Nurse
Konstantin Shayne
Dr. Veroff
Charles Tannen
Intern
Harry Carter
Elevator Operator
Robert Adler
Man (uncredited)
Robert Siodmak
Director
Darryl F. Zanuck
Executive Producer
Sol C. Siegel
Producer
Earle Hagen
Orchestrator
Alfred Newman
Original Music Composer
Don Błachu
Homebody
Bootleggers
Murderers Club of Brooklyn
The Godfather
Jerry Cotton: Tip Not Included
Jerry Cotton: Death and Diamonds
Manhattan Night of Murder
Fail Safe
The King of Comedy
Silmät hämärässä
White Heat
The Sicilian Clan
Sunset Park
Sidewalk Stories
Kal Ho Naa Ho
Lucky Number Slevin
The Devil Wears Prada
Inside Man
The Godfather Part III
Jerry Cotton: The Trap Snaps Shut at Midnight
Johny Mera Naam
Sophie's Choice
Deadly Shots on Broadway
Maria Full of Grace
Two Lost in a Dirty Night
My Brother
The Look Out Girl
Metropolitan
Animal World
The Marriage Fool
Act of Violence
The Believer
The Wanderers
Michael Clayton
Panic Room
Klute
Newsies
Chinese Coffee
Short Eyes
Chop Shop
The Blue Dahlia
Laps
El cerco
They Made Me a Fugitive
Black Rain
The Brave One
Outrage
Sex and the City
Black Mass
Diary of a Mad Black Woman
The Big Shot
After Office Hours
Man on a Ledge
Shakedown
Premium Rush
The Devil's Own
Abandoned
Raising Helen
Lullaby
A Free Soul
Marrying the Mafia
Outside the Wall
Jerry Cotton: Death in the Red Jaguar
Daybreak
The Threat
Stonewall
Race Street
The Crooked Web
The Girl in the Red Velvet Swing
Backfire
Blondie Johnson
Made
Murder Without Tears
Kireedam
They Paid with Bullets: Chicago 1929
A Dangerous Profession
Dheena
The Sweet and the Bitter
I Was a Communist for the FBI
Marrying the Mafia 2
Let Them All Talk
Safe Men
My Gun Is Quick
Love Nest
Love and Anger
The Other Woman
The Passion of Ayn Rand
Girls Under 21
Mala, Love and Death
No Escape
Stiletto
Blood Story
Marrying the Mafia 3: Family Hustle
Loitering with Intent
The Girl with the Golden Chain
Silver Screen Suicide
I Am a Rain Dog
Good neighborhood
The Year was 1928
The Asphalt Jungle
Richard Jewell
The Lady from Shanghai
Brute Force
Where the Sidewalk Ends
The Public Enemy
Nightmare Alley
He Ran All the Way
The Mask of Dimitrios
Crime Wave
Riot in Cell Block 11
The Enforcer
Kiss of Death
The Wrong Man
The Outfit
The Rainmaker
The Big Combo
Prince of the City
House of Strangers
Little Caesar
The Outfit
The Killer Is Loose
Let Him Have It
The Pelican Brief
The Blue Gardenia
The Bygone
The Verdict
The Seven-Ups
Killer's Kiss
Mobsters
Knock on Any Door
The Man Who Cheated Himself
Winged Creatures
Sep 29, 1948
© 2025-2026 MovieNight. All rights reserved.
Versus
Sign in to play →
Bicara Cinta
2020
The Pied Pipers of Harlow
1965
Sign in to vote
Battle your watched movies head-to-head
Community Top Movies
Evil Dead II
1987 · 14 wins
The Dark Knight
2008 · 14 wins
Halloween
1978 · 13 wins
Final Destination
2000 · 12 wins
Halloween II
1981 · 11 wins
Trivia
Leaderboard →Playing as a guest — sign in to save your score and rank on the leaderboard.
Movie Trivia
Guess the movie from a clue — tagline, plot, cast and more. Pick from four posters.
What movie experience do you prefer?
What is your favorite movie genre?
Versus
Sign in to play →
Bicara Cinta
2020
The Pied Pipers of Harlow
1965
Sign in to vote
Battle your watched movies head-to-head
Community Top Movies
Evil Dead II
1987 · 14 wins
The Dark Knight
2008 · 14 wins
Halloween
1978 · 13 wins
Final Destination
2000 · 12 wins
Halloween II
1981 · 11 wins
Trivia
Leaderboard →Playing as a guest — sign in to save your score and rank on the leaderboard.
Movie Trivia
Guess the movie from a clue — tagline, plot, cast and more. Pick from four posters.
What movie experience do you prefer?
What is your favorite movie genre?
We use essential cookies to run MovieNight, plus analytics (Google Analytics) and advertising (Google AdSense) cookies. By continuing to browse, you agree to this — or click No and we won't. See our Terms & Privacy Policy to learn more.