Colibel Terrible acting, screenplay and direction.

Fairaher The film makes a home in your brain and the only cure is to see it again.

Teddie Blake The movie turns out to be a little better than the average. Starting from a romantic formula often seen in the cinema, it ends in the most predictable (and somewhat bland) way.

Freeman This film is so real. It treats its characters with so much care and sensitivity.

bsmith5552 "The Case Against Brooklyn" is about cops on the take selling their "protection" to the illegal off track betting houses.After a reporter exposes corruption within the police force, District Attorney Norris (Tol Avery) decides to do something about it. Unable to trust the police, he plans to plant newly graduated policemen under cover to ferret out the syndicates. Officer Pete Harris (Darren McGavin), an ex-marine, and Jess Johnson (Brian Hutton) are assigned to the task. In the opening, we learn that Gus Polombo (Joe DeSantis) is heavily in debt to the syndicate headed by Finelli (Nestor Paiva). Unable to pay up, he crashes his truck so that his wife Lil (Maggie Hayes) will collect his insurance. We also learn that Rudi Franklin (Warren Stevens) is the go-between among the various betting parlors as well as being the syndicate's enforcer.Harris and Johnson through Lil learn that a barber shop is the front for Finelli's operation. Jess is discovered setting up a wire tap and is killed by bad cop Sgt. Bonny Robert Osterloh). Capt. Wills (Emile Meyer) questions Bonney and releases him. Willis you see, is on the take as well.Harris strikes up a "friendship" with Lil Polumbo who also is pursued by Franklin. After having a little too much to drink one night, Lil reveals to Franklin the Harris is a cop. After being worked over by the gang, Harris is falsely arrested. After being released, Harris returns to his home and his wife Jane (Peggy McKay) where a tragic event occurs.Harris then goes after the gang. Capt. Wills protests to Finelli about all of the killings stating that he wanted no part in murder when he went on the take. Just then Harris arrives at the gang's headquarters and..........................................................Darren McGavin was always one of my favorite actors. He never quite made it to the "A" list but had a long and varied career with his best work coming in various TV series (Mike Hammer, Riverboat etc). Maggie Hayes too, had a long career but seemed a little too long in the tooth to be a convincing "femme fatale". Warren Stevens similarly to McGavin never made it to the "A" list but too had a long and varied career both in movies and TV. And singer Bobby Helms (My Special Angel, Jingle Bell Rock) makes a very brief appearance as what else, a bar singer crooning a forgettable tune.Still and all despite its low budget, this film makes a fair little noire. A good supporting cast of familiar faces and strong leads make this an enjoyable little second feature.

bkoganbing A real scandal involving several NYPD police officers stationed in Brooklyn was the basis for this crime and corruption story that became the plot for The Case Against Brooklyn. Cops are being paid off at an alarming rate to close their eyes and look the other way as illegal betting parlors open up for business all over the Borough of homes and churches. The District Attorney in Kings County who at that time in real life was a man named Edward Silver is determined to do something about it. In the film the character's name is Michael Norris and he's played by Tol Avery. What Avery's decided to do is literally hijack the whole graduating class at the Academy and have them work for him undercover. One of them, Darren McGavin is sent undercover to romance the recent widow of Joe DeSantis who committed suicide so his double indemnity clause could pay off Nestor Paiva the bookie who's sent some of his enforcers around to collect. As McGavin romances Margaret Hayes that certainly puts a strain on his marriage to Peggy McCay.And the triangle becomes four sided as Warren Stevens who does a bit of everything for Paiva, muscle, bagman, and even hit-man also starts courting Hayes to see what could spill to the cops, if she can find some that she can trust. Best performances in the film by far are from DeSantis and Hayes. As the victim you can feel things closing in for DeSantis as he makes that final gesture for his wife's solvency. And Hayes you can feel sorry for the fact she's being used by both sides. How it all ends, let me say that the climax takes a leaf from the Fritz Lang noir classic The Big Heat and if you know that film, you know about 80% of how the story will come out.McGavin himself is a ruthless sort looking to prove himself, knowing that a good job here will cement his reputation. In real life it would have gained him a long career in Internal Affairs.A year after the Dodgers left Brooklyn, The Case Against Brooklyn is a fine noir drama based on a real incident in the beloved former home of the Bums.

Carolyn Paetow Opine that a film is noir, and the arguments will sprout up like mushrooms in a dark cellar. This gritty little feature, however, should cause contention only among those who designate noir in terms of directors, inclusive years, or other mercenary measures. The plot concerns police corruption, and the protagonist is an unsullied, but savvy rookie cop who is ready and willing to cast sentiment aside and get the goods by hook or crook. The Production Code is cracking, and characters talk of a woman putting out and a good guy's willingness to cheat on his wife. There's no soft soap or sappiness--only an oblique noir world that twists and turns and delivers flashes of light amidst the gloom.

ksf-2 Only the second film that Paul Wendkos directed, the "Case Against Brooklyn" is a look inside the New York police department. The lead, Officer Pete Harris (Darren McGavin ) must separate the good guys from the bad guys without getting knocked off himself. McGavin had been in films and numerous TV appearances for 10 years, along with co-stars Margaret Hayes, Peggy McCay, and Warren Stevens. It's a bit like an episode of Dragnet - there's an omniscient narrator giving us the play by play. At one point, there's a singer in a lounge, Bobby Helms, who sings "Jacqueline", in a complete standstill, deadpan manner as he leans against the jukebox. The real interesting note here is that he was also the co-writer on "Jingle Bell Rock"... too bad he didn't sing that one. The character here with real personality has about the smallest role - the landlady Mrs. Carney, played by Cheerio Meredith, is eccentric, nosy, and likes to give advice. You probably recognize her as the gossipy "Emma Watson" from the Andy Griffith show. I was determined to watch this through to the end, but it's as dry as a piece of toast with no buttah.