It's not a classic by any means. But it has its virtues - the black and white cinematography, the great jazzy soundtrack by Jerry Goldsmith, and particularly the extensive on-location shooting in and around Los Angeles. There are lots of scenes of 1950s cars cruising the street, store fronts and interiors - more than average, because they're looking for the protagonist. Living in LA, I especially enjoyed that. As for the plot, I've seen three or four similar plotted stories the last year - someone is contagious and threatens the city, or is carrying something radioactive, etc. This one had a slightly less plausible plot line, since the police weren't particularly protective. But I soaked up the ancillary elements - the acting was passable, the camera-work and lighting were above average - and I'm a sucker for the '50s.
45 Reviews
Possible germ warfare in Los Angeles...and Ben Casey in his undershirt
moonspinner553 July 2007
Pulpy, wildly overwrought, but entertaining co-feature from Columbia has a pre-"Ben Casey" Vince Edwards starring as a convict who breaks out of San Quentin with a container he thinks is "a pound of 100% snow", but instead of heroin it's actually radioactive Cobalt 60 and any exposure could decimate Los Angeles. Not a compact thriller (even at 75 minutes!), this suspense film is full of behind-the-wheel montages and bits of generic police business. Edwards smolders like a reckless mad-dog stud, yet when he's required to disguise himself as a businessman with glasses, he's adept and convincing at this transition. The other actors in the cast aren't as versatile, and the mechanical writing and directing certainly doesn't liven them up (they're all stock figures, though Vince's girlfriend does get in a few funny wisecracks down at the police station). Photographed by Lucien Ballard, the movie has a great, gritty look full of L.A.'s neighborhoods and back streets, and the tension does manage to build successfully even though just about everything in the picture is second-rate. **1/2 from ****
Nicely crafted B thriller
arbesudecon2 September 2010
Nice and well paced B thriller , one of those in which you enjoy the way the directors manage to overcome the obvious script and budget limitations to create a personal piece of work , as much as the film itself . It happened in the past and still happens today , what could have turned into a routine movie it's saved by an skilled director who is able to add some spark to what otherwise could be an unremarkable film
Lerner was an absolute expert on this task and It's quite appealing to see this in action and how he manages to create and maintain the tension throughout this film . Literally he builds it out from nothing , no budget and based on a script that you probably came across on a dozen of movies before . All action and trouble comes from an small cylinder allegedly containing heroine worth 1 million USD , which has been stolen by a convict during his prison break . It contains a highly radioactive material instead which causes the alarm and the relentless pursuit of the convict .
Don't get any wrong impression , this is a classic man on the run B thriller , and as such there are some incongruences but mostly it's filmed imaginatively enough to offset the lack of budget and keep the interest It can be compared to what happened with Budd Boetticher , both get some attention when they received some props from Scorssesse himself , so that shed some light to their careers which thus far have been quite neglected by the general public.
Lerner was an absolute expert on this task and It's quite appealing to see this in action and how he manages to create and maintain the tension throughout this film . Literally he builds it out from nothing , no budget and based on a script that you probably came across on a dozen of movies before . All action and trouble comes from an small cylinder allegedly containing heroine worth 1 million USD , which has been stolen by a convict during his prison break . It contains a highly radioactive material instead which causes the alarm and the relentless pursuit of the convict .
Don't get any wrong impression , this is a classic man on the run B thriller , and as such there are some incongruences but mostly it's filmed imaginatively enough to offset the lack of budget and keep the interest It can be compared to what happened with Budd Boetticher , both get some attention when they received some props from Scorssesse himself , so that shed some light to their careers which thus far have been quite neglected by the general public.
Let's Make LA Really Glow!
dougdoepke3 July 2007
In 1958, director Irving Lerner scraped together enough money to make two poverty row features that Columbia released. The first, Murder By Contract, is one of the fine sleeper classics of low-budget film-making, Vince Edwards as a professional hit-man.. By virtue of that film, Andrew Sarris includes a paragraph on Lerner in his seminal book on film directors and auteur theory, American Cinema.
Unfortunately, the second film doesn't measure up to the first. Still, City of Fear has its moments, particularly in the hand-held location shots that lend some much needed pacing. And that's a key problem with this thriller-- it stalls whenever the scenes shift to the offices where Archer and Talbot as police officials add little energy needed to rev up the chase. Thus we get a kind of jerky effect that can't sustain the story momentum.
And a good story premise it is, as the authorities try to track down Edwards before he can loose a big dose of radio-active cobalt on LA. In my book, Edwards was an interesting actor at this early stage, a genuinely commanding presence in a lot of better-than-average B-films. There's also the under-rated Kathie Browne who could be a pixie one minute and a hellion the next (though her part here is small). Steven Ritch too, is an interestingly obscure figure, collaborating on a number of B-level scripts as well as acting in them. And what guy could pass up a chance at the really luscious Patricia Blair-- move over Marilyn!
Anyway, it looks like Sarris was right-- Lerner was a one-shot wonder. Nonetheless, he manages a few neat tricks on display here. All things considered, this minor thriller is still worth a look-see, even 50 years later.
Unfortunately, the second film doesn't measure up to the first. Still, City of Fear has its moments, particularly in the hand-held location shots that lend some much needed pacing. And that's a key problem with this thriller-- it stalls whenever the scenes shift to the offices where Archer and Talbot as police officials add little energy needed to rev up the chase. Thus we get a kind of jerky effect that can't sustain the story momentum.
And a good story premise it is, as the authorities try to track down Edwards before he can loose a big dose of radio-active cobalt on LA. In my book, Edwards was an interesting actor at this early stage, a genuinely commanding presence in a lot of better-than-average B-films. There's also the under-rated Kathie Browne who could be a pixie one minute and a hellion the next (though her part here is small). Steven Ritch too, is an interestingly obscure figure, collaborating on a number of B-level scripts as well as acting in them. And what guy could pass up a chance at the really luscious Patricia Blair-- move over Marilyn!
Anyway, it looks like Sarris was right-- Lerner was a one-shot wonder. Nonetheless, he manages a few neat tricks on display here. All things considered, this minor thriller is still worth a look-see, even 50 years later.
Simple but worthwhile.
planktonrules10 August 2012
This film begins with a guy breaking out of prison. This man (Vince Edwards) is incredibly ruthless--even for an escaped prisoner. He kills several folks throughout the film--such as a prison guard, an innocent guy in a car and several others. This coldness really was excellent--making the character very compelling.
There is a strange (and VERY unbelievable twist). On his way out of prison, he stole what he THOUGHT was heroin from the infirmary--and he plans on selling it and making a fortune. However, it's actually a super-radioactive substance and if it's released from its steel case, it could kill thousands. Now what would heroin or super-radioactive stuff be doing in a prison in the first place?! I have no idea and it IS a huge plot problem. However, because the rest of the film is so good, it's something you can overlook. Taut--with great music and tense moments. The DVD case says it's film noir--and it is definitely noir-ish. Worth seeing.
There is a strange (and VERY unbelievable twist). On his way out of prison, he stole what he THOUGHT was heroin from the infirmary--and he plans on selling it and making a fortune. However, it's actually a super-radioactive substance and if it's released from its steel case, it could kill thousands. Now what would heroin or super-radioactive stuff be doing in a prison in the first place?! I have no idea and it IS a huge plot problem. However, because the rest of the film is so good, it's something you can overlook. Taut--with great music and tense moments. The DVD case says it's film noir--and it is definitely noir-ish. Worth seeing.
It's all gone feverish in Los Angeles.
hitchcockthelegend24 May 2012
City of Fear is directed by Irving Lerner and stars Vince Edwards, Lyle Talbot, John Archer and Steven Ritch. The latter of which co-wrote the screenplay with Robert Dillon. Music is scored by Jerry Goldsmith and cinematography by Lucien Ballard.
"Last night a convict by the name of Vince Ryker escaped from San Quentin. After stealing what he believed to contain a pound of pure heroin ..... does not contain heroin, it contains Cobalt-60 in granular form."
Cheap, compact but very effective "B" thriller from the tail end of the first noir cycle, City of Fear thrives on sweaty paranoia played out amongst Los Angeles locations. It's a ticking time bomb structure, convict man thinks he has a gold mine in his hands but actually holds something that is killing him by the hour. This lets in the police procedural aspects as the cops and scientists try to locate convict man and his radiation container. Urgent! Not only to save the convicts life, but also the city from probable disaster!
OK, the science does not add up, nor does the fact that convict man never once gets to open the container to inspect his supposed golden haul! But the claustrophobic feel is high and the sense of doom married up to the helplessness of the protagonist does bring it into the noir universe. Ballard photographing is always a plus, though he does not get to show his considerable talents that much here, while Goldsmith, in one of his first musical scoring assignments, couples dramatic thrusts with jazzy reflections to great effect. Edwards (Murder by Contract) makes for a good noir loser. 7/10
"Last night a convict by the name of Vince Ryker escaped from San Quentin. After stealing what he believed to contain a pound of pure heroin ..... does not contain heroin, it contains Cobalt-60 in granular form."
Cheap, compact but very effective "B" thriller from the tail end of the first noir cycle, City of Fear thrives on sweaty paranoia played out amongst Los Angeles locations. It's a ticking time bomb structure, convict man thinks he has a gold mine in his hands but actually holds something that is killing him by the hour. This lets in the police procedural aspects as the cops and scientists try to locate convict man and his radiation container. Urgent! Not only to save the convicts life, but also the city from probable disaster!
OK, the science does not add up, nor does the fact that convict man never once gets to open the container to inspect his supposed golden haul! But the claustrophobic feel is high and the sense of doom married up to the helplessness of the protagonist does bring it into the noir universe. Ballard photographing is always a plus, though he does not get to show his considerable talents that much here, while Goldsmith, in one of his first musical scoring assignments, couples dramatic thrusts with jazzy reflections to great effect. Edwards (Murder by Contract) makes for a good noir loser. 7/10
Lethal things come in small cannisters
thejcowboy2223 February 2015
When I was five years old I developed a pain in my stomach. The pain would come and go for a few days. During the last afternoon of day camp, the pains got worse. The Nurse called my Mom as I began to wail in pain. The sharp pangs against my stomach wall were excruciating. They rushed me to the hospital. The Doctors examined me and asked if I ingested anything? They gave me sedative and took my blood, which became an issue. I finally let them prick my finger. The Nurse asked me what I like to do and I said to her that I enjoy playing in the sand, building castles and roads and such. The nurse's eyes open wide as if I solved the world problems. Along the genre of film noir despite the year, this movie is an excellent example of a period piece. Pre- Kennedy era Los Angeles with the cars and wardrobe of a bygone era our main Character Vince Edwards is on the run, Hiding holding a canister of death and unbeknownst to himself, leaving a trail of (rads) radiation and illness to whomever he comes in contact with. The few that he physically murders are the lucky ones; the alternative would be a slow cancerous death. Film plot will hold your interest. You are curious, wondering how long our star crook can hang on. Jerry Goldsmith's jazzy music adds to the flavor of the film. All in all Vince Edwards s shows his range of acting skill as a heavy as a race against time is essential in returning the deadly canister and sparing a city. This movie will hold your interest. The hook here is how long would our drug dealing convict hold on until the radiation from the cannister gets the better of him. This film reminded me of the pains in my stomach that happened more frequently as the days went on. I didn't know that a tape worm was growing inside of me and had to be addressed by a physician, but I was only 6 years old. Our Vince Ryker character didn't realize he was getting weaker by the hour.
A taut, entertaining thriller.
Hey_Sweden30 July 2017
Vince Edwards dominates the screen as Vince Ryker, a hard core criminal who makes a violent escape from prison. On his way out, he snatches a container that he mistakenly assumes to contain heroin, which he hopes to sell for a tidy profit. However, it actually contains "Cobalt 60", a dangerous radioactive substance. Cops played by the likes of Lyle Talbot, John Archer, and Kelly Thordsen have to track Ryker down before he can expose the city of L.A. to this substance. As it happens, any person who comes near the container does become seriously sick.
Movies like "City of Fear" may be what they used to call "programmers", but that doesn't mean that they're devoid of entertainment value. This one is sufficiently enjoyable, with right-to- the-point, no frills filmmaking courtesy of director Irving Lerner and company. Tight pacing results in a movie that runs barely an hour and a quarter. Ryker is definitely an anti hero, to be sure, and Edwards portrays him in an appropriately sneering, punkish manner. But the story (co-written by co-star Steven Ritch, who plays Dr. John Wallace) dares to invite a bit of sympathy for Ryker, as he gets progressively more sickly and doesn't understand why. The rest of the cast is likewise solid: stunning Patricia Blair as Rykers' girl June, Joseph Mell as shoe store owner Eddie Crown, Sherwood Price as creepy Pete Hallon, Kathie Browne as salesgirl Jeanne, and Michael Mark in a cameo as a restaurant proprietor. The viewer can also have fun with the catchy, lively score composed by a young Jerry Goldsmith (in his first feature film credit). Cinematographer Lucien Ballard does excellent work as usual.
"City of Fear" might not be anything "great", but it serves its purpose: it's good, straightforward fun, combining police procedural aspects with potential outbreak chills in a diverting way. Recommended to fans of old black & white crime flicks.
Seven out of 10.
Movies like "City of Fear" may be what they used to call "programmers", but that doesn't mean that they're devoid of entertainment value. This one is sufficiently enjoyable, with right-to- the-point, no frills filmmaking courtesy of director Irving Lerner and company. Tight pacing results in a movie that runs barely an hour and a quarter. Ryker is definitely an anti hero, to be sure, and Edwards portrays him in an appropriately sneering, punkish manner. But the story (co-written by co-star Steven Ritch, who plays Dr. John Wallace) dares to invite a bit of sympathy for Ryker, as he gets progressively more sickly and doesn't understand why. The rest of the cast is likewise solid: stunning Patricia Blair as Rykers' girl June, Joseph Mell as shoe store owner Eddie Crown, Sherwood Price as creepy Pete Hallon, Kathie Browne as salesgirl Jeanne, and Michael Mark in a cameo as a restaurant proprietor. The viewer can also have fun with the catchy, lively score composed by a young Jerry Goldsmith (in his first feature film credit). Cinematographer Lucien Ballard does excellent work as usual.
"City of Fear" might not be anything "great", but it serves its purpose: it's good, straightforward fun, combining police procedural aspects with potential outbreak chills in a diverting way. Recommended to fans of old black & white crime flicks.
Seven out of 10.
Taut Atomic Noir
secragt8 May 2007
A tawdry low budget pot boiler featuring dynamite performances by Vince Edwards and a similarly game supporting cast. I know Edwards is probably most famous for his heroic Ben Casey role, but he sure chewed up a lot of upholstery in movies like this one and MURDER BY CONTRACT the year before. A lot of the charm comes in watching this police procedural unfold. Lots of seedy low lives generally keep up the off color flavor and the suspense builds nicely over the course of time.
Some of the discussion of radioactivity is dated, but the cannister makes a great macguffin for the gruff talking' square-jawed Men of Law to pursue. It really wouldn't have taken much to raise this from a guilty pleasure and enjoyable cautionary tale to something along the lines of KISS ME DEADLY, but it's almost more quaint to see this mostly forgotten and obscure b-movie in its under-appreciated present form, if you can find it. The last shot of the movie is quite a hoot! Fine, jazzy musical score by a then-very young Jerry Goldsmith.
Some of the discussion of radioactivity is dated, but the cannister makes a great macguffin for the gruff talking' square-jawed Men of Law to pursue. It really wouldn't have taken much to raise this from a guilty pleasure and enjoyable cautionary tale to something along the lines of KISS ME DEADLY, but it's almost more quaint to see this mostly forgotten and obscure b-movie in its under-appreciated present form, if you can find it. The last shot of the movie is quite a hoot! Fine, jazzy musical score by a then-very young Jerry Goldsmith.
the one about something lethal loose in a big city
blanche-224 March 2014
"City of Fear" is a 1959 B movie starring Vince Edwards, Patricia Blair, and Lyle Talbot. Directed by Irving Lerner.
Vince Edwards is the imaginatively named Vince, a prison escapee who believes he's carrying a lot of heroin in a cannister. He plans to sell it and then take off with his girlfriend (Blair). There are a few people in his way, but in his drive from the person, he's able to dispatch them. One of them is his fellow escapee, who becomes very sick and dies.
Vince is actually carrying a lethal cannister of cobalt-6, and it's making him ill, though he persists with his plans. Meanwhile, city officials know what he has and are desperate to find him.
This script has been made I don't know how many times, most notably Panic in the Streets (1950). It's fairly well executed here by Lerner's touches, one where Vince drives away from a gas station and the cannister has rolled out of his car, and another where he's trying to open it, to no avail.
I never considered the brooding Vince Edwards to be much of an actor. He's Ben Casey gone rogue here. Patricia Blair is a knockout. The actress Kathie Browne has a nice cameo - she later appeared in many television shows and was married to Darren McGavin. Finally, one of the great character actors, Lyle Talbot, enjoyed a 56-year career before dying at the age of 94. At the time of his death, he was working on his biography. A shame he didn't finish it - it would have been a great read.
Vince Edwards is the imaginatively named Vince, a prison escapee who believes he's carrying a lot of heroin in a cannister. He plans to sell it and then take off with his girlfriend (Blair). There are a few people in his way, but in his drive from the person, he's able to dispatch them. One of them is his fellow escapee, who becomes very sick and dies.
Vince is actually carrying a lethal cannister of cobalt-6, and it's making him ill, though he persists with his plans. Meanwhile, city officials know what he has and are desperate to find him.
This script has been made I don't know how many times, most notably Panic in the Streets (1950). It's fairly well executed here by Lerner's touches, one where Vince drives away from a gas station and the cannister has rolled out of his car, and another where he's trying to open it, to no avail.
I never considered the brooding Vince Edwards to be much of an actor. He's Ben Casey gone rogue here. Patricia Blair is a knockout. The actress Kathie Browne has a nice cameo - she later appeared in many television shows and was married to Darren McGavin. Finally, one of the great character actors, Lyle Talbot, enjoyed a 56-year career before dying at the age of 94. At the time of his death, he was working on his biography. A shame he didn't finish it - it would have been a great read.
Great only for the time and place
suttonstreet-google29 December 2012
A completely awful film, from the wooden acting of the square-jawed, no-nonsense fat boys who are in search if the escapee, to the usual Hollywood plot device of not informing the public because "there will be mad panic!" (boy, has that one been milked over the years), to radioactivity that somehow leaves a contamination footprint behind even when the container was not opened. A lot of shots of police cars driving in formation, which I guess gives the appearance of men in action. But the low budget of this film meant a lot of actual street scenes of 1950s Hollywood, the cars, the stores, the people -- it is a nice time slip back a few decades, and fun to watch if for nothing else than the background.
quick moving suspense thriller
danandandra8 June 2003
This is a gritty low-budget thriller that reminded me of Panic In The Streets but with a faster pace and a no-frills b-movie tone. I'd consider it a lost classic in that I saw it once on a local TV station about 30 years ago and have been looking for it on TV or video ever since to no avail. The basic premise of a deadly little canister of radiological waste deserves another look in this day of weapons of mass destruction (another case of science fiction predicting the future). The deterioration of the unwitting thief as the radiation poisoning consumes him is macabre and compelling.
Caution! Highly Radioactive!
sol-kay13 March 2012
Warning: Spoilers
***SPOILERS*** A lot like the 1955 Mike Hammer film noir classic "Kiss Me Deadly" the movie "City of Fear" has to do with a stolen cylinder of highly toxic and radioactive cobalt-60 in granular form that was histed from the San Quentin infirmary, what it was doing there is never explained, by escaped convicts Vince Ryker and his partner William Dafner. Thinking that the cylinder contains pure heroin Ryker and Dafner, who died from radiation poisoning within hours after his escape, are in for a big surprise once they open it. In not only killing each other but exposing million of people in the L.A Metropolitan area to it's deadly radioactive rays!
Not daring to tell the public what their facing the police under the command of Chief Jensen try to capture Ryker before he opens and expose himself as well as the entire city of L.A to the deadly cobalt-60! Ryker not realizing what he's got on him tries to get in touch with shoe salesman Eddie Crown who uses his store as a front for drug trafficking! It's Crown that Ryker wants to fence the drugs and make a cool million from the transaction in splitting the profits with him. While all this is going on everyone that Ryker comes in contact with including his girlfriend June Marlow are exposed to the deadly cobalt-60 and like him are not long for this world.
A pre Ben Casey Vince Edwards is eerily effective as escaped hood Vince Ryker who's so obsessed in what he thinks is the heroin canister he has on him that he doesn't seem to realize that it's in fact slowly killing him. On the run through the entire film Ryker starts to sweat and cough as well as suffer internal bleeding from being exposed to the cobalt-60 that he never lets leave his sight. This doesn't stop Ryker from murdering some half dozen people, including Eddie Crown, in his mad dash for freedom, to Mexico or South America, with his by now also dying from radiation poisoning girlfriend June Marlow.
***SPOILERS*** The end comes for Ryker in this greasy spoon diner in downtown L.A as he's running from the police where he staggers in and collapses in his cup of coffee barley being able to get up and stand on his feet! Finally realizing what a jerk he was in actually killing himself, with the cobalt-60, and taking a number of people along with him Ryker crumbles to the street and finally passes away. The irony to all that is that Ryker is by now so contaminated from the effects of the cobalt-60 that no one not the police or even the ambulance staff on the scene would dare lay a hand on him!
Not daring to tell the public what their facing the police under the command of Chief Jensen try to capture Ryker before he opens and expose himself as well as the entire city of L.A to the deadly cobalt-60! Ryker not realizing what he's got on him tries to get in touch with shoe salesman Eddie Crown who uses his store as a front for drug trafficking! It's Crown that Ryker wants to fence the drugs and make a cool million from the transaction in splitting the profits with him. While all this is going on everyone that Ryker comes in contact with including his girlfriend June Marlow are exposed to the deadly cobalt-60 and like him are not long for this world.
A pre Ben Casey Vince Edwards is eerily effective as escaped hood Vince Ryker who's so obsessed in what he thinks is the heroin canister he has on him that he doesn't seem to realize that it's in fact slowly killing him. On the run through the entire film Ryker starts to sweat and cough as well as suffer internal bleeding from being exposed to the cobalt-60 that he never lets leave his sight. This doesn't stop Ryker from murdering some half dozen people, including Eddie Crown, in his mad dash for freedom, to Mexico or South America, with his by now also dying from radiation poisoning girlfriend June Marlow.
***SPOILERS*** The end comes for Ryker in this greasy spoon diner in downtown L.A as he's running from the police where he staggers in and collapses in his cup of coffee barley being able to get up and stand on his feet! Finally realizing what a jerk he was in actually killing himself, with the cobalt-60, and taking a number of people along with him Ryker crumbles to the street and finally passes away. The irony to all that is that Ryker is by now so contaminated from the effects of the cobalt-60 that no one not the police or even the ambulance staff on the scene would dare lay a hand on him!
The final days of Film Noir
lokko5323 July 2015
An interesting late film noir based in L.A. It has a bit of the city "documentary" type filming. It starts out with an ambulance car racing down the street. We find out one of them is bleeding and they both escaped from jail. Vince, the driver, stole a can of what he thinks is heroine on his way out of jail. He feels like he can sell the drug and live off the money with his girlfriend.
The film also focuses on the police investigation which cuts into the development time of any of the characters, thus they all remain underdeveloped. The escaped criminal Vince does come of as menacing and we see him descend fast from his jail break "high." The audience finds out quickly that the canister is a radioactive powder form of Cobalt 60, while Vince thinks its full of highly price worthy drugs. The film, from Vince's perspective shows him trying to set up a sale of the drug, while from the police perspective, we see them trying to prevent a city wide panic.
There were good sequences and shots, like when Vince is trying to figure things out at night along a busy road and we see cuts of the cars passing by, Vince sweating and Vince holding on to the canister. But there is not enough to lift up the film from mediocrity. Interestingly, the musical score is conducted by the prolific Jerry Goldsmith. As far as noir films, it includes an interesting depiction of paranoia, egotism, violent consequences and illusions of grandeur. It is an inferior picture of Cold War, radioactive poisoning paranoia, but it will be an interesting film for fans of film noir movies who want to see the last throes of a great psychological cinematic movement.
The film also focuses on the police investigation which cuts into the development time of any of the characters, thus they all remain underdeveloped. The escaped criminal Vince does come of as menacing and we see him descend fast from his jail break "high." The audience finds out quickly that the canister is a radioactive powder form of Cobalt 60, while Vince thinks its full of highly price worthy drugs. The film, from Vince's perspective shows him trying to set up a sale of the drug, while from the police perspective, we see them trying to prevent a city wide panic.
There were good sequences and shots, like when Vince is trying to figure things out at night along a busy road and we see cuts of the cars passing by, Vince sweating and Vince holding on to the canister. But there is not enough to lift up the film from mediocrity. Interestingly, the musical score is conducted by the prolific Jerry Goldsmith. As far as noir films, it includes an interesting depiction of paranoia, egotism, violent consequences and illusions of grandeur. It is an inferior picture of Cold War, radioactive poisoning paranoia, but it will be an interesting film for fans of film noir movies who want to see the last throes of a great psychological cinematic movement.
Los Angeles is wild eyed with terror.
michaelRokeefe10 March 2011
Warning: Spoilers
Vince Edwards, two years before captivating female TV viewers as Dr. Ben Casey, plays an escaped con named Vince, who is unaware he has stolen a canister of radioactive powder known as Cobalt 60 instead of heroin. He is allusive outrunning police Chief Jensen(Lyle Talbot)and Lt. Richards(John Archer). The substance starts playing havoc on Vince's body and the police go into hyper mode to find him before he contaminates the entire wild eyed and terrorized citizens of Los Angeles. Vince convinces his girlfriend(Patrica Blair)that they have a worry free future if he can get out of the city. Filmed mostly on Melrose Avenue in L.A. and features an experimental jazz score by Jerry Goldsmith. Also in the cast: Steven Ritch, Kelly Thordsen and Sherwood Price.
Murder by Cobalt
TheFearmakers3 August 2022
An escaped convict, played by Vince Edwards, steals a metal container of what he thinks is uncut heroin, but is really radioactive cobalt and, as he ventures through sparse Los Angeles, slowly dying in a kind of nuclear cautionary tale version of D. O. A., a cop (WHITE HEAT heat John Archer), a dame (Patricia Blair) and doctor (Steven Ritch from PLUNDER ROAD) are after him...
The edgy, stylized yet subtle nuance of CITY OF FEAR exceeds the somewhat sluggish pace when our ailing anti-hero, not on screen, is discussed by other cast members: a symbolic comparison to that lethal cobalt and the 1950's American male criminal... both are active, deadly...
One character warns Edwards that he can't show his face for fear of EXPOSURE: which means being seen, but also contagious as the police, not wanting to cause citywide panic, warns anyone involved about how dangerous he is while only we know what they're really after all along...
Proof that heavy-handed symbolism can usually work within a Noirish setting, but, like MURDER BY CONTRACT also by director Irving Lerner/starring Vince Edwards, where side-characters randomly distract from the edgy mainline, our man wields enough palpably emotional tension to let the audience figures things out on our... and his... own.
The edgy, stylized yet subtle nuance of CITY OF FEAR exceeds the somewhat sluggish pace when our ailing anti-hero, not on screen, is discussed by other cast members: a symbolic comparison to that lethal cobalt and the 1950's American male criminal... both are active, deadly...
One character warns Edwards that he can't show his face for fear of EXPOSURE: which means being seen, but also contagious as the police, not wanting to cause citywide panic, warns anyone involved about how dangerous he is while only we know what they're really after all along...
Proof that heavy-handed symbolism can usually work within a Noirish setting, but, like MURDER BY CONTRACT also by director Irving Lerner/starring Vince Edwards, where side-characters randomly distract from the edgy mainline, our man wields enough palpably emotional tension to let the audience figures things out on our... and his... own.
The Killer that Stalked L.A.
mark.waltz27 February 2019
Warning: Spoilers
As an escaped Criminal runs around L.A., unknowingly driving towards his death, he is unaware that stolen material he took from prison isn't actually heroin but a nuclear time bomb that would create a germ warfare that would create utter turmoil. Vince Edwards is the troubled escapee who is first seen driving a stolen ambulance down a country road with a fellow escapee who is on the verge of dying himself. Within moments, he is indeed deceased, and Edwards is unaware as to why. But the "why" happens to be in the container he believes to be heroine which he intends to use as his nest egg which is really a radioactive substance. Edwards precedes to become weaker, and unfortunately, his demise could also mean the deaths of millions.
While this theme has been utilized in several film noir and various other science fiction films over the years, the way this is presented is very chilling because I love the way the structure is developed. Geiger counters reveal the presence of radioactive material everywhere they go, and that sound becomes increasingly creepy. This is part of the first of America's New Wave view of the modern world, and mixing it in with a film Noir and science fiction theme makes it all the more intriguing. Excellent photography and superb location footage go hand-in-hand with all of the other nail biting plot elements that leads to a suspenseful and potentially stunning conclusion, with the description of how its victims could die more than simply just horrifying.
While this theme has been utilized in several film noir and various other science fiction films over the years, the way this is presented is very chilling because I love the way the structure is developed. Geiger counters reveal the presence of radioactive material everywhere they go, and that sound becomes increasingly creepy. This is part of the first of America's New Wave view of the modern world, and mixing it in with a film Noir and science fiction theme makes it all the more intriguing. Excellent photography and superb location footage go hand-in-hand with all of the other nail biting plot elements that leads to a suspenseful and potentially stunning conclusion, with the description of how its victims could die more than simply just horrifying.
VINCE NEEDS A DOCTOR (DR BEN CASEY)!
davidalexander-630688 November 2020
Warning: Spoilers
Vince Edwards puts in a credible performance interesting little drama. He play an escaped convict carrying what he thinks is a million dollar packet of heroin but which in fact is enough deadly cobalt to kill the entire population of Los Angeles. I've only known Vince Edwards as the dour-faced Dr Ben Casey in the TV series so it was good to see him showing off another side of his acting talents. As for the security that allowed this deadly cabalt to be carted off unknowingly by an escaping convict or for this to be the crux or storyline in this little film noir, it truly is implausible, isn't it?
Delightful and admirably paced thriller
Cristi_Ciopron12 April 2008
Warning: Spoilers
City of Fear (1959),directed by Irving Lerner,is a representative of a presumably lost science or knowledge--that of making suspenseful thrillers.Todat, this science seems to have been lost.City of Fear (1959) is as straightforward as it is naive--and notice how its simplicity can be delighting and fit.
Kathie Browne,a splendid blonde a la Kim Novak, very '50s in her dress and moves, is especially fine to watch.
The film is very well paced, enviably well scored, and immensely suspenseful. It is naive and simple, yet not at all crap or stupid.It is a tale, effectually written, of the bomb threat,in the duck and cover era.
It's one of the movies I wish I had seen as a boy.
The _toxically murderous substance hovers above these people that hide or search it--striving to endure and prevail; the lead, a superior bum, is doomed. The toxic death lurks, looms. The looming, lurking, almost hidden danger. The atomic threat; the duck and cover naive slogans and fear.
Irving Lerner was the director of only a few films, between '43 and '69 .Vince Edwards is the lead of City of Fear (1959),and fit for an action drama like this one.Because it is so tense and fast--paced and interesting and dynamic, the movie seems very short.
Kathie Browne,a splendid blonde a la Kim Novak, very '50s in her dress and moves, is especially fine to watch.
The film is very well paced, enviably well scored, and immensely suspenseful. It is naive and simple, yet not at all crap or stupid.It is a tale, effectually written, of the bomb threat,in the duck and cover era.
It's one of the movies I wish I had seen as a boy.
The _toxically murderous substance hovers above these people that hide or search it--striving to endure and prevail; the lead, a superior bum, is doomed. The toxic death lurks, looms. The looming, lurking, almost hidden danger. The atomic threat; the duck and cover naive slogans and fear.
Irving Lerner was the director of only a few films, between '43 and '69 .Vince Edwards is the lead of City of Fear (1959),and fit for an action drama like this one.Because it is so tense and fast--paced and interesting and dynamic, the movie seems very short.
Fresh offering, however often stays struck and expose a destitute one plot only!!!!
elo-equipamentos19 February 2023
As far I remember I'd never watched old picture with such offering, where a crook Vince Ryker (Vince Eduards) stealing a sealed capsule which he believes be pure heroine, instead a high radioactive cobalt 60 stolen from the prison where he was imprisoned for eight years long, he got escape with a sidekick that was deadly wound in the endeavor.
He headed to Los Angeles where has a mobster Eddie Call (Joseph Mell) just him can receive the valuable heroine, meanwhile the police figure out that such capsule contains actually the poisoned Cobalt 60, if the capsule for any reason be open should be killing over that three thousand people in whole city, the Chief of Los Angeles Jensen (Lyle Talbot) decides doesn't alarm the citizens and also the Burglar aiming for doesn't create any panic at all, assisted by the veteran Lt. Mark Richards (John Archer) they settled a bold plan calling a expert in this field Dr. John Wallace (Steven Ritch).
They spreading along the L. A. 25 Geiger counters that should scan the Cobalt 60 , this bold idea had his first good achievements in some spots that linked with the holder of the cylinder, soon the Vince already sick die the hard exposition with the radioactive capsule.
The City of fear despite displays a genuine story, it's somehow expose a destitute one plot only, without twist and others elements often expose in Noir movie, then stays stuck in one premise only, spoils a good story, in other hand appears the gorgeous redhead Patricia Blair as Vince's affair, she is mostly well-known in the series Daniel Boone where she walk on runway along the series, what a woman!!
Thanks for reading.
Resume:
First watch: 2023 / How many: 1 / Source: DVD / Rating: 7.25.
He headed to Los Angeles where has a mobster Eddie Call (Joseph Mell) just him can receive the valuable heroine, meanwhile the police figure out that such capsule contains actually the poisoned Cobalt 60, if the capsule for any reason be open should be killing over that three thousand people in whole city, the Chief of Los Angeles Jensen (Lyle Talbot) decides doesn't alarm the citizens and also the Burglar aiming for doesn't create any panic at all, assisted by the veteran Lt. Mark Richards (John Archer) they settled a bold plan calling a expert in this field Dr. John Wallace (Steven Ritch).
They spreading along the L. A. 25 Geiger counters that should scan the Cobalt 60 , this bold idea had his first good achievements in some spots that linked with the holder of the cylinder, soon the Vince already sick die the hard exposition with the radioactive capsule.
The City of fear despite displays a genuine story, it's somehow expose a destitute one plot only, without twist and others elements often expose in Noir movie, then stays stuck in one premise only, spoils a good story, in other hand appears the gorgeous redhead Patricia Blair as Vince's affair, she is mostly well-known in the series Daniel Boone where she walk on runway along the series, what a woman!!
Thanks for reading.
Resume:
First watch: 2023 / How many: 1 / Source: DVD / Rating: 7.25.
Really?
derekph-18 October 2017
Warning: Spoilers
Barely watchable nourish radiation-fear exploitation thriller about escaped convict (Vince Edwards) who is carrying a canister of radioactive Cobalt 60 that he thinks is heroin. Hilarity ensues. But really. If cops were this stupid, no crooks would ever get caught. ** SPOILER ALERT *** First, no photo of him? A convicted criminal? Really? Second, don't tell any of his accomplices how dangerous the canister is – they may not believe you, but so what? You have a chance, at least. Really. Third, don't bother to follow his accomplices, they might lead you to him! Really. Fourth, radiation from the canister would not leave the surroundings radioactive if none of the contents escaped. Really. Fifth, what the F is that canister made of? They said it was some sort of steel, but he can't dent it with chisels and sledge-hammers. Really? Sixth, after three days in direct contact with that canister, he should be totally helpless, not beating up his buddy and running around the streets. Really. Seventh, these cops are the worst interrogators in the world, they never ask a useful question. Really. 3/10 for the cool 50's cars and views of LA. And Edwards is eye candy. But really.
Cobalt-60
kennethfrankel30 January 2011
Warning: Spoilers
Cobalt-60 is not explosive and would not destroy a city. The entire city is a risk in the movie, but it was OK for convicts to be near it. It goes through beta decay (emits electrons) and then turns into Nickel, and emits 2 gamma rays (just high energy photons). So what I don't understand is what causes the residual radiation on cars, rooms, and everything else the canister was near? Once the canister is taken out of a room, the room should be safe. It is possible that the radiation makes other atoms change and become radioactive, but I am not aware of the amount of that effect. And then there was the expert, who used his coat to open the car door and the hood. Come on - wouldn't the guy have protective gear? How about an old rag? Something that seems to have escaped the police is that they could have checked for radiation on the officers that manned the roadblocks (assuming the premise that everything got contaminated for a long time). They were searching the cars very well, and touching everything. That would have given clues as to the route the convict was taking. Today, that all seems silly. The roadblock people and investigators would be all in spacesuits and have to go through 30 minute showers to try to decontaminate themselves.
Worth the watch
pmtelefon6 November 2022
"City of Fear" was better than I expected. Trusty Leonard Maltin only gave it 1 1/2 out of 4. That's a little harsh. Overall, I think "City of Fear" is pretty good. The cast does a nice job. The music is good. The location photography is very good. It also has a short running time (81 minutes). That's always an added bonus. All in all, "City of Fear" was a pretty easy way to spend a Sunday morning. (IMDB's 600 character minimum now forces to continue writing when I have nothing else to say. It's a pain in the neck. Sometimes I go over the 600 minimum. Other times, like now, I have nothing else to say.)
Panic So Dull You Will Doze Off
zardoz-137 March 2018
Warning: Spoilers
"Royal Hunt of the Sun" director Irving Lerner's panic-stricken thriller "City of Fear," with Vince Edwards and Lyle Talbot, conjures up minimal paranoia. This black & white chiller about an impending apocalypse has an interesting premise. A desperate San Quentin inmate, Vince Ryker (Vince Edwards of "Murder by Contract"), has broken out of prison with a compatriot. Vince stabbed a guard to death in the process of breaking out. These two steal an ambulance and tear off down the highway. The inmate riding with Vince dies not long after their escape. Vince has grand plans once he reaches Los Angeles. He has to steal another car after he stops a motorist. He kills the car owner and burns the victim's body in the ambulance along with his inmate pal. Indeed, he believes that he has taken a cannister of heroin from the prison infirmary. Nothing could be farther from the truth. As it turns out, ignorant Vince has pinched a cannister of a dangerous isotope: cobalt-60, in powdered form, that is extremely lethal, lethal enough to throw a city into a panic. The authorities learn about the cannister, but they do a sloppy job of catching Vince. Of course, our misguided moron dies trying to open the cannister. He suffers horribly from exposure to the stuff and kills two accomplices along the way. Vince meets briefly with his old girlfriend, June Marlowe (Patricia Blair of "Jump into Hell"), and she doesn't inform on him because she is in love with the lug. Everybody that he encounters develops flu-like symptoms and sweats profusely. The pollution patrol cops cruiser around in cars with Geiger counters dangling out the windows to locate the stuff. Police Chief Jenson (Lyle Talbot of "Calling Homicide"), Lieutenant Mark Richards (John Archer of "White Heat"), and Doctor John Wallace (Steven Ritch of "Plunder Road") stand around at police headquarters and sweat a lot as things get out of hand, until they converge on Vince. Actually, the authorities blunder no sooner than they release the citizens that Ryker knew and would probably contact. Furthermore, they screw up badly because they fail to maintain surveillance on these individuals. Lerner alternates exterior location lensing of Los Angeles with stage-bound scenes at police headquarters. Unfortunately, Lerner doesn't have audiences sweating about the outcome as much as they grow restless waiting the inevitable. Vince Edwards delivers a hard-hitting performance, but everybody else is way too laid back. Some of the on-location camera work is evocative. Ultimately, "City of Fear" ranks a poor, second-rate imitation of earlier epics, including Eli Kazan's "Panic in the Streets and Robert Aldrich's "Kiss Me Deadly."
Nice Companion to "Kiss Me Deadly"
evanston_dad31 January 2023
"City of Fear" would make a nice double bill with "Kiss Me Deadly," the other 50s noir that comes immediately to mind when you think of mass annihilation through radiation poisoning. "City of Fear" isn't anywhere nearly as bonkers and deliciously tawdry as the latter film, one of my all-time favorites, but it does have a kinetic and satisfyingly ragged style, and a knockout score by Jerry Goldsmith that keeps things jumping.
Vincent Edwards is the guy on the lamb with a canister of radiation that he thinks is heroin. This guy is absolutely dripping with sex appeal. He manages to be sexy even while dying slowly of radiation sickness. Wish I was that sexy.
Grade: A-
Vincent Edwards is the guy on the lamb with a canister of radiation that he thinks is heroin. This guy is absolutely dripping with sex appeal. He manages to be sexy even while dying slowly of radiation sickness. Wish I was that sexy.
Grade: A-
See also
Awards | FAQ | User Ratings | External Reviews | Metacritic Reviews
