Although you've probably never heard of it, Cry of the City is a very good crime drama from the 1940s. It stars two rival Italians on opposite sides of the law, Victor Mature and Richard Conte. I'm sure you can guess which is the policeman and which is the criminal. Victor plays his character in a very interesting way, rather than the one-dimensional, stereotypical "good cop". He shows tenderness to Richard's mom, calling her "Mama" and eating her home cooking when she offers. He's sterner with Richard's younger, impressionable brother, and he gives him tough-love advice on how not to waste his life. With Richard, he's tough and treats him like the cop-killer he is. There's absolutely nothing "immature" about Victor's performance in this movie.
Richard, although definitely The Bad Guy, somehow has enough screen presence to make the audience care about him and hope he changes his ways. He has a young, innocent girlfriend (a teenage Debra Paget) whom he hopes to escape to South America with, and we hope he makes at least one decent decision throughout the movie so he can deserve her. He has a devoted mother as religious as Debra, and a kid brother who worships him; will he revert to the strong family values he was obviously raised with? Probably not, since it's Richard Conte - but you never know.
There's a lot to appreciate about Cry of the City, not the least of which is the screenplay. Gritty for the time period and full of opportunities for lessons or double crosses (whichever path the character wants to take), it's an interesting story with good acting. You'll see a sinister and creepy scene with Hope Emerson, and a young Shelley Winters showing her street-smarts in her brief appearance.
Richard, although definitely The Bad Guy, somehow has enough screen presence to make the audience care about him and hope he changes his ways. He has a young, innocent girlfriend (a teenage Debra Paget) whom he hopes to escape to South America with, and we hope he makes at least one decent decision throughout the movie so he can deserve her. He has a devoted mother as religious as Debra, and a kid brother who worships him; will he revert to the strong family values he was obviously raised with? Probably not, since it's Richard Conte - but you never know.
There's a lot to appreciate about Cry of the City, not the least of which is the screenplay. Gritty for the time period and full of opportunities for lessons or double crosses (whichever path the character wants to take), it's an interesting story with good acting. You'll see a sinister and creepy scene with Hope Emerson, and a young Shelley Winters showing her street-smarts in her brief appearance.