Night and the City

“Harry’s an artist without an art.” In the physical and cultural ruins of World War II, a London street conman named Harry Fabian (Richard Widmark) fights a new war, one more personal and superficial, fueled not by military prowess but by desperation to rise above his lot in life; with bombs and tanks replaced by lies and disappointments, Fabian’s war proves just as exhausting and just as deadly. Jumping from one potential swindle to another, relying on the unreliable help of underground characters like panhandlers, counterfeiters, and smugglers, always dreaming of “a life of ease and plenty,” Fabian finally lands on a scheme he believes can’t lose: he persuades world-renowned Greco-Roman wrestler Gregorius (Stanislaus Zbyszko) to team up with him to dominate the wrestling market in London, much to the displeasure of Gregorius’ gangster son Kristo (Herbert Lom). To fund the venture, Fabian wheedles money from nightclub owner Philip Nosseross (Francis L. Sullivan), who, aware that his wife Helen (Googie Withers) aims to leave him for Fabian, has his own sneaky hand to play. Gene Tierney plays Fabian’s sometimes girlfriend Mary Bristol, who remains devoted to him until the end for better or worse. Dassin brilliantly transforms London into a criminal wonderland and displays it prominently through Fabian’s constant running and hiding, a bounty on his head in the third act, dramatic angles and deep shadows penetrating every alley and staircase (in one scene, the camera tilts to the right and then to the left and upward as Fabian climbs steps to evade his pursuer). Seemingly every noir element smashes together into a viscerally exciting ride in the dark that doesn’t let up for a moment.