Port of New York (1949)

Two narcotics agents go after a gang of murderous drug dealers who use ships docking at the New York harbor to smuggle in their contraband.

Director:

Laslo Benedek

Writers:

Eugene Ling (screenplay), Leo Townsend (additional dialogue)

Stars:

Scott Brady, Richard Rober, K.T. Stevens

Cast

Cast overview:
Scott Brady	...	Michael 'Mickey' Waters
Richard Rober	...	Jim Flannery
K.T. Stevens	...	Toni Cardell
Yul Brynner	...	Paul Vicola
Arthur Blake	...	Dolly Carney
Lynne Carter	...	Lili Long
John Kellogg	...	Lenny
William Challee	...	Leo Stasser

Storyline

Agents Mickey Waters and John Flannery re-team to investigate the theft of medicinal narcotics from the S.S. Florentine. The vicious gang responsible is headed by the ruthless, but debonair Paul Vicola, who doesn't hesitate to murder anyone who stands in his way. Vicola's girlfriend is garroted when she becomes unreliable, and when go-between nightclub comic Dolly Carney poses a risk, he is thrown from his apartment window. After Waters is shot and killed trying to break into the gang's Brooklyn-based yacht club front, Flannery decides to go undercover and pose as a San Francicco drug dealer. The gang is smoked out and after a furious gun battle, Vicola is apprehended and his gang broken.

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Plot Keywords:

man murders a woman | man slaps a woman | narcotics | drugs | murder | 

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Taglines:

No crime too vicious ... no justice too swift for the Merchants of Death who lurk in its shadows !

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Genres:

Crime | Drama | Film-Noir | Thriller

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Certificate:

Approved

Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

28 November 1949 (USA)

Also Known As:

Rauschgiftbrigade

Filming Locations:

Wilmington, Los Angeles, California, USA

Company Credits

Production Co:

Samba Pictures, Aubrey Schenck Productions

Technical Specs

Runtime:

82 min

Sound Mix:

Mono (RCA Sound System)

Color:

Black and White

Aspect Ratio:

1.37 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

Film debut of Neville Brand.

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Quotes

Paul Vicola: Tie him up. Mr. Wylie's leaving the boat.

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Connections

Referenced in The Killing Floor (2007)

User Reviews

Yul Brynner Stars as Brutal Villain

This effective noirish crime drama was Yul Brynner's film debut in which he demonstrates star quality as a debonair, brutal crime boss engaged in drug trafficking. Brynner was born in Vladivostok and his oriental features and full head of wavy hair (!) are perfectly suited to this role. In particular, his facial expressions and body language when he gets busted are superbly acted and well worth watching.

Scott Brady and Richard Rober deliver generally good performances as federal agents whose goal is to track down a shipment of narcotics. Although they are portrayed as heroes, neither has star quality and their acting is occasionally hammy. The rest of the cast plays a convincing ensemble of feds, thugs, dealers, and dames.

The direction and cinematography are excellent with some beautifully composed classic noir scenes where Brady and Rober explore a dark warehouse. The plot is predictable without major twists or sharp dialog, although the stentorian narrator gives the movie an interesting fascist undertone as war-on-drugs propaganda.

The print (Classic Film Noir, Volume 2) is quite good although the sound track is scratchy. Despite its flaws, this is a well-crafted fast-paced minor film noir worth adding to your collection.