There is a group of films that fall within the definition of film noir that also have an unsettling, eerie mood such as "Night Has a Thousand Eyes", "The Seventh Victim", "Nightmare Alley", and this one, "City That Never Sleeps".
The film opens on scenes of Chicago with narration from The Voice of the City (Chill Wills). Although this seems an artificial device at first, the oddness of the story is set up early as the camera pans down to a strange mechanical man in the window of a nightclub.
Johnny Kelly (Gig Young) is a cop from a family of cops, he is embittered with the job and wants out. He is married, but is having an affair with a singer at the nightclub. The action of the movie takes place over the course of one night as Johnny crosses the line, becoming entangled with Penrod Biddle (Edward Arnold) a corrupt lawyer.
Johnny's usual partner for the night is replaced by Sgt. Joe played by Chill Wills - The Voice of the City takes human form. Sgt Joe challenges Johnny's conscience as he strays off the straight and narrow. This, plus the sad mechanical man, take the film into another realm of noir.
Director John H. Auer who seems to have had a list of workmanlike, but pedestrian movies under his belt, really dived into a shadowy and moody world for this film. The city at night is as much a star of the film as the actors with great locations in old warehouses, along menacing railroad tracks and down darkened streets.
Gig Young was always a likable actor whose shocking ending belied his affability. He is fine in this, as are Edward Arnold and William Tallman playing criminals who fall out.
The end result isn't perfect, the final chase, although superbly filmed, goes on just too long, and as was the way with films of the era, characters have quick changes of heart to get the whole thing wrapped up in a few moments before the end titles.
However, this one sticks in the memory and it's that touch of other worldliness throughout the story that does the trick.
The film opens on scenes of Chicago with narration from The Voice of the City (Chill Wills). Although this seems an artificial device at first, the oddness of the story is set up early as the camera pans down to a strange mechanical man in the window of a nightclub.
Johnny Kelly (Gig Young) is a cop from a family of cops, he is embittered with the job and wants out. He is married, but is having an affair with a singer at the nightclub. The action of the movie takes place over the course of one night as Johnny crosses the line, becoming entangled with Penrod Biddle (Edward Arnold) a corrupt lawyer.
Johnny's usual partner for the night is replaced by Sgt. Joe played by Chill Wills - The Voice of the City takes human form. Sgt Joe challenges Johnny's conscience as he strays off the straight and narrow. This, plus the sad mechanical man, take the film into another realm of noir.
Director John H. Auer who seems to have had a list of workmanlike, but pedestrian movies under his belt, really dived into a shadowy and moody world for this film. The city at night is as much a star of the film as the actors with great locations in old warehouses, along menacing railroad tracks and down darkened streets.
Gig Young was always a likable actor whose shocking ending belied his affability. He is fine in this, as are Edward Arnold and William Tallman playing criminals who fall out.
The end result isn't perfect, the final chase, although superbly filmed, goes on just too long, and as was the way with films of the era, characters have quick changes of heart to get the whole thing wrapped up in a few moments before the end titles.
However, this one sticks in the memory and it's that touch of other worldliness throughout the story that does the trick.