MamaGravity good back-story, and good acting

Ketrivie It isn't all that great, actually. Really cheesy and very predicable of how certain scenes are gonna turn play out. However, I guess that's the charm of it all, because I would consider this one of my guilty pleasures.

Plustown A lot of perfectly good film show their cards early, establish a unique premise and let the audience explore a topic at a leisurely pace, without much in terms of surprise. this film is not one of those films.

Billy Ollie Through painfully honest and emotional moments, the movie becomes irresistibly relatable

TheLittleSongbird With a diverse taste in film (hopefully), spreading across all genres and all decades, crime dramas are right up my street, even the dark and gritty ones.'The City is Dark' (as credited here in the UK rather than 'Crime Wave', prefer the latter title personally) is as dark and gritty as one can get and is as far from glamorous (pretty seedy actually too), but that is what makes it the little film noir/crime drama gem it is. It isn't quite a masterpiece, but 'The City is Dark' at its best is excellent and deserves far more exposure than it's gotten. Maybe it is a little too short and it does cram in a lot in a short running time, perhaps a little too much in places. However, it is never dull and one is kept on the edge of their seat throughout.Its production values are superb, with gritty but also pretty sumptuous cinematography and suitably seedy settings. Atmospheric lighting too. The haunting score by David Buttolph adds a lot, as does the taut direction by generally under-appreciated Andre De Toth. It is interesting to hear the Gershwin brothers classic "S Wonderful" on the radio, sung by none other by Doris Day, and no despite how that sounds it's not out of place at all.Writing is tight and suspenseful with a lot of thought-provoking moments. The story is just as tense and is basically a gritty look at police methods, the criminal world and the difficulties crooks face when reforming, compellingly told.Very strong cast, with an excellent Sterling Hayden and Gene Nelson, who considering the stuff he's most famous for (dancing and musicals, completely different kettle of fish) one wouldn't expect to work at all but he does. Phyllis Kirk is good support, as is a slimy Jay Novello and the terrifying support of Ted De Corsia and Timothy Carey. A young Charles Bronson also does a good job.Overall, it is a shame that 'The City is Dark' is as underrated as it is because it really is a very good film with very little to dislike. 8/10 Bethany Cox

bob the moo A trio of men on the run are pulling off small robberies on their way to Mexico. When one goes wrong one of the men is badly wounded and the trio split up – with the injured man heading to the home of former-con Steve Lacey, who is trying to put his former life behind him. Although Lacey tries to have nothing to do with any of it, he finds himself trapped between the police and the wounded man's partners. With everyone looking to drag him down one way or the other, Steve gets drawn in deeper and deeper.This is a b-movie crime thriller which doesn't really stand up when compared to classics of the genre but still does enough to be of value as a simple tough filler. The plot doesn't allow for much more than basic characterization and motivation but the plot moves along well enough in a tough talking b-movie fashion. There isn't too much in the way of twisting and turning but the story did have good pace to it; I would have liked a bit more detail round the edges though because as it was the characters are mostly cardboard cutout of genre standards. This is fine when the plot has pace but too many dialogue scenes are a little bit stiff because the dialogue and those saying it are just by the numbers and lacking color.I liked the fact that the film contained scenes shot inside of LAPD buildings but at the same time I felt the cinematography was often too lacking in atmosphere and had a sharp documentary-look to it where the material and the genre would have been better served with some visual grit in there. It does have specific scenes that look good but particularly in the offices I didn't like the feel. The cast do a decent job of delivering to the genre, but it is hard not to feel like some of the calibre of Hayden isn't slumming it a little bit here. Nelson by contrast seems right at home and is perhaps only a little too bland. The villains are pretty decent in the shape of de Corsia and Bronson. Kirk is good in support as well but ultimately it is a genre film and they are not asked to do much beyond that.Par for the genre course then, does what you expect and then finishes – doesn't compare to the classics of the genre but isn't terrible by any means. Meat and potatoes stuff.

JLRMovieReviews Sterling Hayden, Gene Nelson, Phyllis Kirk and Charles Buchinsky (Bronson) stars in this relatively forgotten but excellent film that centers on the life of an ex-con (Nelson) who's trying to go straight after mixing with the wrong crowd. Some of his ex-friends are creating a crime wave of robberies and need someplace to hide out. And, when they find him, he tries to tell them to get out. The movie is very adult and in your face with its no-holds-barred attitude and makes the viewer feel as if it could be happening today.Sterling Hayden is absolutely great and thoroughly convincing as a cop, who's gotten burnt out and treats all cons as scum and believes once a thief.... And, Gene Nelson is good too, who incidentally looks great here. I had never really noticed him much in "Oklahoma," but here, wow! And, there is a neat little twist to it at the very end, that you don't see coming. If you're a lover of film noir, then buy this on DVD today in a classic film noir set #4 and watch the whole set and start your own wave.

GManfred I love the Film-Noir genre - I really do, it's my favorite. But too many films get credit for inclusion in the category when it's not deserved or it does not fit. "Crime Wave" is little more than a melodrama and a tedious one at that.Most of the action takes place in the first 10 minutes and the last 5. 3 guys knock over a gas station and shoot the policeman who stops by to investigate the suspicious goings-on. Then the picture bogs down as a potboiler-talkathon for the next hour as the gang take Gene Nelson and his wife, Phyllis Kirk, as semi-hostages. Location shooting was sloppy as crowds of onlookers can be seen in the background in outdoor shots.Did not notice any Film-Noir touches except for Sterling Hayden - but he was a cop in this one. No dark, wet alleyways, no honky-tonk night clubs and no ambiguity of intent...and not a lot of action. The narrative itself is too simplistic for a film-noir. Now, take "Out Of The Past" - THAT was a noir film.As is, "Crime Wave" is an OK way to pass 75 minutes, but it will not be a rewarding 75 minutes.