Night and the City

1950 Directed by Jules Dassin

The inside story of London after dark.

Londoner Harry Fabian is a second-rate con man looking for an angle. After years of putting up with Harry's schemes, his girlfriend, Mary, becomes fed up when he taps her for yet another loan. His latest ploy, promoting an aging Greek wrestler, goes awry when the wrestler dies and everyone points the finger at Harry. Hiding out in a riverfront barge, Harry sees his grand ambitions spiral into a nightmare of fear and desperation as the underworld closes in.

Richard Widmark Gene Tierney Googie Withers Hugh Marlowe Francis L. Sullivan Herbert Lom Stanislaus Zbyszko Mike Mazurki Charles Farrell Ada Reeve Ken Richmond Alan Tilvern Derek Blomfield Clifford Buckton Ernest Butcher Peter Butterworth Naomi Chance Edward Chapman Clifford Cobbe Patricia Davidson Maureen Delaney Aubrey Dexter Stanley Escane Thomas Gallagher Rex Garner James Hayter George Hirste Hamilton Keene Kay Kendall Show All…

Country

Language

English

Alternative Titles

Die Ratte von Soho, I trafficanti della notte

drama thriller

95 mins More details at IMDb TMDb Report this film

Popular reviews

Review by Steve G 🐝 ★★★★★ 5

To be someone must be a wonderful thing,
A famous footballer, a rock singer,
Or a big film star, yes I think I would like that.
To be rich and have lots of fans,
Have lots of girls to prove that I'm a man
And be number one - and liked by everyone.
The Jam: To Be Someone
Even when Richard Widmark stops running in Night And The City, you always feel as though he's standing on his tip-toes ready to launch himself towards the nearest exit and away from the latest person that he's diddled.
Widmark's performance, one of the very best in a stunning career that surely has never received the extremely high level of praise that it…
Review by ScreeningNotes ★★★★ 4

"You had brain, ambition, you worked harder than any other man, but the wrong things, always the wrong things."
For Jules Dassin, everything is work and money. Night and the City is all about growing up and making a living (regular, steady labor) vs. quick, easy, big money (all capital, no labor). The protagonist is right in between: he puts a lot of labor into his endeavors, but the endeavors he invests in are always the kind of ill-advised but exciting projects that promise a lot but deliver a little. He has an amazing energy, but he doesn't know how to direct it. His only flaw is not being able to live a boring life—perhaps the central tragedy of film noir.
"You've done a sharp thing. Sharp enough to cut your throat."
Film Noir ranked
Review by Elwood B. ★★★★½

"You've got it all, but you are a dead man, Harry Fabian!"
Richard Widmark playing a crook is as rare as brown M&Ms. It must be that big forehead, that just immediatly screams "yeah, I'm not to be trusted". But what his characters lack in facial consistency, they have in heart. His motives seem to be egogistical at first but once he sees his love for the very last time, not even the biggest of doubters would dispute the sincerity of his confession.
Review by The Scribbling Man ★★★★½

Harry Fabian is slimy, sleazy, naive and more than a little foolish - but he's one hell of a swindler, and it's this very skill that will take him high, before sending him tumbling all the way down.
One part wrestling flick, two parts seedy noir, Night and The City is a unique gem with great, moody cinematography, a consistent air of impending tragedy and more than a few slimy characters; their arcs both satisfying and fittingly grim, this is about as bleak and brutal as noir gets.
I watched the BFI blu ray which provides two different versions of the film. I couldn't determine which was definitive, so I watched the American version, which (I think) was the initial…
Review by Joe ★★★★★ 1

Totally impeccable craft, the climactic wrestling match is right up there with the heist in Rififi, just heart-stopping (who knew an AFS crowd could get so invested in wrestling), but it still gains so much from Widmark's performance. He plays a hustler so edgy and desperate to make good he doesn't even seem to have the luxury of any internal thoughts, it all comes out one way or the other. Highest caliber noir.
Review by Mike D'Angelo ★★★★

75/100
A.V. Club review. I go back and forth on Tierney's role here. She's given squat to do, and the inclusion of Hugh Marlowe as her character's replacement fella—it's not even clear why that dude is in the movie until he shows up to embrace her at the end—reeks of studio-dictated compromise. At the same time, though, her unfailing virtuousness feels almost radical in this context: anti-fatale.

Recent reviews

Review by Jane Williams ★★★★

Yeah, that was a pretty good experience. I would say the plot is a well rounded story, a lot of little bits they hold onto throughout the film, character arks going in their own direction away from the essential story. You have a guy using his foil as his macguffin, that's nice. He's more than a macguffin, that's an unfair use. There's also a guide through criminal acts of London, which is nice and unusual for Noir films, you don't look at wide areas id criminal activity, you look at a criminal act, but this is on these side. Nice protagonist, he's sleazy and classy and sounds like he must have done voice work. Positively giddy. Loved the look of the whole film. Had complex blocking without moving the camera and when it does, it's good. That's good, I'm glad.
Review by nordink ★★★½

This review may contain spoilers. I can handle the truth.

Surprisingly fresh – it didn't feel dated. This story could have been produced today...
Harry Fabian is a compelling character, well acted by Richard Widmark. He's a loser with a shoddy moral compass – and you _want_ him to straighten up and succeed.
He never does, of course; he can't. And he gets what he deserves in the end, taking others down with him as he goes.
A very worthwhile film!
Review by shadowmoses7 ★★★½

This is an incredibly dark film with a highly unlikable protagonist.
The film is about a guy who is out to make a quick buck; taking shortcuts; screwing over and hustling others out of their money. To be that "somebody" one day.
A sense of honor is in the air; or lack thereof of honor in this film.I can guarantee you the protagonist didn't have an ounce of honor in him. A true con-man.
As the film progresses you begin to feel sorry for his girlfriend (Gene Tierney); who has to put up with this guy; he is the incessant dreamer, with all the ideas, who conveniently is always "seconds away from the big time"! Gene Tierney gives him what…
Review by Dennis Vehlen ★★★★½

A perfect script by Jo Eisinger, stylish cinematography and a terrific cast, lead by an outstanding Richard Widmark who really nails his character in every way - Jules Dassin made a lot of great films and this Noir classic is one of the best.
Review by The Scribbling Man ★★★★

This review may contain spoilers. I can handle the truth.

I watched and reviewed the American cut of this here. This is a re-watch/comparison of the British Cut featured on the BFI blu-ray - 6 minutes longer, different bookends, a mixture of trimmed and added scenes and an entirely different musical score. I'm not going into huge detail, but will highlight certain observations. I haven't been able to find a good comparison of the two cuts anywhere, so hopefully some will find this helpful.
Off the bat, the first thing I noticed was that the film hadn't been cleaned up nearly as well for the British cut. Not bad looking and the audio was fine, just a lot more visible dirt/scratches.
The actual opening of the film, where Harry Fabian…
Review by Maxwell Colbeck ★★★½

I really enjoyed the plot and how you just know this man is doomed. Each step he takes he gets in deeper and deeper. The wrestling match scene was a bit long for my taste but that also was very interesting to see done in a film like this.
Review by mel ★★★½

men are so stupid
Review by KingFranknstein ★★★★

This is how I lose.
Review by Matt ★★★★

Best wrestling movie