The Naked Street is narrated in flashback from the point of view of investigative reporter Peter Graves who gets both the story and the girl in the
end. The story is that of Anthony Quinn one tough and ruthless gangster who
like Paul Muni in Scarface is slightly overprotective of his sister. The sister is Anne Bancroft and she's gotten herself knocked up.
The doer is Farley Granger a local punk who is now on death row for killing someone. Quinn who has striven mightily to keep his gangster life away from his sister goes to some extraordinary and illegal lengths to get Granger sprung. But once the shotgun wedding has been concluded he treats Granger the way Sonny Corleone treated Carlo Rizzi his new brother-in-law. Granger actually tries at one point to go straight, but Quinn just hates him with a passion. It ends bad for both Quinn and Granger.
Anthony Quinn who in his career was one of those chameleon like players who could do just about anything is dominant in the story in whatever scene he's in. The hatred of Quinn for Granger is what drives the whole story.
As for Granger he recycled the part he did in Edge Of Doom where he plays the killer of a priest and another priest Dana Andrews brings him to accountability. It's like the fates were truly against him and due to Quinn's machinations comes to a truly ironic ending.
Others to note are James Flavin as a noted criminal defense attorney who Quinn hires for Granger and Lee Van Cleef who is unbilled and who becomes an unwitting pawn in Quinn's plans for Granger. Bancroft is showing a bit of acting chops herself, there's a glimmer of the talent that got her that Oscar for The Miracle Worker.
The Naked Street didn't have any great production design touches, but the talented cast keeps you interested.
The doer is Farley Granger a local punk who is now on death row for killing someone. Quinn who has striven mightily to keep his gangster life away from his sister goes to some extraordinary and illegal lengths to get Granger sprung. But once the shotgun wedding has been concluded he treats Granger the way Sonny Corleone treated Carlo Rizzi his new brother-in-law. Granger actually tries at one point to go straight, but Quinn just hates him with a passion. It ends bad for both Quinn and Granger.
Anthony Quinn who in his career was one of those chameleon like players who could do just about anything is dominant in the story in whatever scene he's in. The hatred of Quinn for Granger is what drives the whole story.
As for Granger he recycled the part he did in Edge Of Doom where he plays the killer of a priest and another priest Dana Andrews brings him to accountability. It's like the fates were truly against him and due to Quinn's machinations comes to a truly ironic ending.
Others to note are James Flavin as a noted criminal defense attorney who Quinn hires for Granger and Lee Van Cleef who is unbilled and who becomes an unwitting pawn in Quinn's plans for Granger. Bancroft is showing a bit of acting chops herself, there's a glimmer of the talent that got her that Oscar for The Miracle Worker.
The Naked Street didn't have any great production design touches, but the talented cast keeps you interested.