Night and the City – 1950 | 101 mins | Crime | B&W

Plot Synopsis

Evocative post-war film noir set and filmed entirely in London that tells the tale of an unscrupulous hustler with lofty aspirations to be a wrestling promoter. Director Jules Dassin fled the McCarthy witch-hunt to Britain, where he made this strongly atmospheric thriller that presented London’s mist-shrouded alleyways in neo-expressionist terms as grotesque and terrifying. Loosely-based on Gerald Kersh’s 1938 novel and sharply written by Jo Eisinger, the story is uncompromising and the suspense is sustained throughout towards a tense and tragic conclusion.The majority of the characterisations are stylised and exaggerated, especially imported American star Richard Widmark’s desperate portrayal of a slippery weasel lamenting on what might have been. Of the British supporting cast, Francis L Sullivan’s obese and overweight nightclub king is unusual rather than convincing. The wrestling scene between Stanislaus Zbyszko, a former heavyweight wrestling champion, and Mike Mazurki is one of the most heart-pounding and brutal matches ever filmed. The completed production was a critical and commercial failure,but has subsequently been recognised as a landmark film noir.

Harry Fabian (Richard Widmark), is a small time American nightclub tout steering punters to sleazy dive The Silver Fox with the promise of witnessing some racy shows – but Harry‘s disapproving girlfriend Mary(Gene Tierney) keeps on at him to get a decent job. Harry has the underworld in his blood and delusions of grandeur, and is obsessed with developing a get-rich-quick scheme. Whilst hustling for business in a wrestling arena he overhears famed wrestler Gregorius (Stanislaus Zbyszko) criticizing the fake wrestling matches his son Kristo (Herbert Lom) offers to the public.

Fabian believes he can promote the long-neglected Greco-Roman wrestling and bring it back to the popularity using Gregorius as a major attraction, but nobody will initially help fund his ambitions. Harry eventually finds a partner in Silver Fox nightclub owner Philip Nosseross (Francis L. Sullivan), a man who lusts after Harry’s girlfriend and knowing the inherent danger of treading on Kristo’s toes – wishes to be a very silent partner.  Nosseross double-crosses Harryby demanding he uses traditional wrestlers like The Strangler (Mike Mazurki) and Nikolas (Ken Richmond), a move that will disappoint Gregorius and anger Kriasto.

Nosseross tells Harry: “You’ve got it all, but you’re a dead man Harry Fabian, a dead man.” When Gregorius dies following a wrestling brawl with The Strangler, Harry finds himself the object of a murderous manhunt with £1,000 on offer to whoever delivers him to Kristo.