"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

"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.

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.

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.

Night and the City is an amazing slice of film noir. Set in London, the film tells the story of Harry Fabian, a low level tout that reaches for the sun and gets burned. Jules Dassin directs with great verve; the film really never stands still, meaning that it's constantly exciting all the way through. This is helped no end by a truly great performance from Richard Widmark, who brings his flawed character to life in a believable way. Outside the lead the film features an array of shady underworld characters; all coming complete with their own set of motivations. Night and the City doesn't pull any punches - remaining dark and ominous throughout, all the way to the inevitable conclusion. I can't quite believe that I've only just seen this after all these years....

Part of A Film A Day

Thanks to @ScottHBG for suggesting this film!

"Night and the City" is one of the most thoroughly enjoyable film noir's of all time. The cinematography is beautiful, along with nostalgic, and amazing performances from the entire cast of the film. Being in B&W, the film is able to hold a very ominous atmosphere, wherein it tells it's story of greed, power and the pursuit of happiness. Truly, what separates "Night and the City" from other films is it's story. Rather than just presenting an intense, gripping mystery film, instead, it studies its main characters, especially Harry Fabian so deeply and in the process of this, analyzes the nature of human intentions.

La Uncut Gems del cine negro londinense. Obra maestra filmada por el maestro de Jules Dassin, quien supo ser asistente de dirección de Hitchcock y luego sería sumamente enaltecido por la nueva ola francesa, como Preminger, Ulmer, Siodmak y tantos otros directores del film noir clásico, pionero en construir y deconstruir formas dentro del propio sistema.

My review from 2009:

Jules Dassin didn't read the book he was adapting, but it wasn't his fault, it was McCarthy's!! He was being blacklisted for crying out loud. Dassin's touch was still present and it was well done. It wasn't my favorite, but still impeccably directed. Have to admire the man.

Watched back to back with Kiss of Death (1947), also with Richard Widmark.

Visionado en:
* Cine Club Vértigo: www.twitch.tv/cineclubvertigo

Cine negro, negrísimo, argumental y fotográficamente. La historia de este buscavidas con sueños de grandeza que se pasa de listo es apropiadamente siniestra y patética pero, para mi gusto, hay demasiado histerismo en las interpretaciones (principalmente, pero no solo, la de Richard Widmark) y la copia que vi en Filmin hacía unos cortes de escena extrañamente abruptos que me mosquearon un poco.

What the Ford Model T is to modern American cars, this is to Uncut Gems.

A damn good prototype. Watched this because Josh Safdie named dropped it as an informative film for making Gems, particularly that it examines a city down to its most micro of details and seen through one person's particular journey through that city. It feels like every nook and cranny of the city was used in this story, giving Scorsese's After Hours a run for its money- although i know Marty's run-around-the-city movie was actually set in one night. Night and the City takes place in maybe 2 days but you know what I mean.

-... but the wrong things, always the wrong things.

Basically 1950's Uncut Gems.

Also, the cinematography is out of this world.

Richard Widmark. Jules Dassin. Das nächtliche London. „Night And The City“ ist ein funkelnder Film Noir-Diamant. Harry Fabian ist ein Loser, der nichts in seinem Leben auf die Reihe bekommt. Als er versucht das Wrestlinggeschäft Londons unter seine Fittiche zu nehmen, legt er sich mit den falschen Leuten an. Richard Widmark ist in der Rolle seines Lebens zu sehen, wie er seine Figur auslebt ist einfach unglaublich. Im zur Seite steht die atemberaubende Gene Tierney. Jules Dassin drehte mit „Night And The City“ ein absolutes Meisterwerk.

Lost me a bit with its labyrinthine plotting, but otherwise this is a fine noir - harsh, bleak and beautifully shot. Richard Widmark is brilliant as a cocky hustler who tries to move into the wrestling game only to have both his enemies and his allies close ranks against him. Gene Tierney doesn't get nearly enough screentime (and to add insult to injury, her character is an exemplary "long-suffering girlfriend trying to wean her man off waywardness" type), but Googie Withers gets a beauty of a role playing a justifiably disloyal woman who nonetheless ends up caught in her own trap. Two years on from The Naked City, his groundbreaking work of location photography, Jules Dassin here does for London what he did there for New York.

Uncut Gems (1950)

Despite the dark, dingy and miserable underworld this film shows, the snappy dialogues and the frantic pace makes Night and the City sparkle and shine like a 10.000 watt bulb, and without a doubt, delights us with the greatest fight scene ever shot.