Remember That Face (1951)
"The Mob" (original title)

Police detective Damico, outwitted by mob killer Blackie Clay, is nominally suspended; actually he goes undercover (as Tim Flynn, ex-con longshoreman) to find Clay and expose the waterfront... See full summary »

Director:

Robert Parrish

Writers:

William Bowers (screen play), Ferguson Findley (novel)

Stars:

Broderick Crawford, Betty Buehler, Richard Kiley

Cast

Complete credited cast:
Broderick Crawford	...	Johnny Damico
Betty Buehler	...	Mary Kiernan
Richard Kiley	...	Thomas 'Tom' Clancy
Otto Hulett	...	Police Lt. Banks
Matt Crowley	...	Smoothie
Neville Brand	...	Gunner
Ernest Borgnine	...	Joe Castro
Walter Klavun	...	Police Sgt. Bennion
Lynn Baggett	...	Peggy Clancy (as Lynne Baggett)
Jean Alexander	...	Doris Clancy
Ralph Dumke	...	Police Commissioner
John Marley	...	Tony

Storyline

Police detective Damico, outwitted by mob killer Blackie Clay, is nominally suspended; actually he goes undercover (as Tim Flynn, ex-con longshoreman) to find Clay and expose the waterfront rackets. In character, Damico throws his weight around so much that the mobsters try to get rid of him; surviving this, he begins to realize that few of those around him are what they seem.

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Plot Keywords:

undercover | gangster | murder | dockyard | based on novel

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Taglines:

The coldest crew since "The killers"

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Genres:

Crime | Film-Noir | Drama

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Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

17 October 1951 (USA)

Also Known As:

Waterfront

Company Credits

Production Co:

Columbia Pictures Corporation

Technical Specs

Runtime:

87 min

Sound Mix:

Mono

Color:

Black and White

Aspect Ratio:

1.37 : 1

Did You Know?

Goofs

In scenes set in a pawn shop and an all-night diner (apparently shot in interiors on standing street sets), actors' frosty breath can be seen even though they're supposed to be inside real businesses that would presumably have been heated.

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Quotes

Lt. Banks: Be careful.
Johnny Damico: Yeah, sure. I'll carry real bullets in my gun.

User Reviews

Not Front Rank

Get "Mr. Big"-- that was the target of a lot of crime dramas back when the Kefauver Commission on Organized Crime was headlines. Here, Mr Big is Backie Clegg, the mysterious crime boss of an ocean-front city. Crawford's assigned to go undercover to get Clegg, and he better because he's already screwed-up on an underworld killing (the movie's opening scene). Crawford gets a lot of good snappy lines and a brutal knock-down-drag- out with thuggish Neville Brand, but his best scene is in a station house. There, the hefty Crawford does a finger push while leaning into a wall—not exactly standard interrogation procedure for the cops, and I'm still hurting from that one.

Nonetheless, the results are too uneven overall to reach the front rank. Following drips on a city street with a special light makes for suspenseful viewing, but what cops would really use such an undependable tracking method. Also, the mysterious Clegg is a theatrical device that doesn't mix well with the tough, realistic scenes along the waterfront. It's like someone in charge couldn't decide on a consistent approach. Still, it's a great chance to see up-and-comers in supporting roles (Bronson, Brand, and Borgnine). Then too, there's Crawford, not exactly your standard leading man. I kept thinking he and the handsome Kiley were supposed to switch roles. Yet it's Crawford's homely looks that make the movie somewhat memorable, along with a machine gun delivery that really spits out snappy lines. Anyway, be sure to catch the very last scene— from the way everybody's behaving, I don't think it was in the script.