"The archetypal film noir." - Nick Schager

A grim and unforgettable film. The chiaroscuro photography deserves special mention, of course, but it's really the labyrinthian story that makes this one of the best film noirs I've ever seen. So many characters populate the shadowy London streets, each one of them compelling. Richard Widmark gives a frantic and mesmerizing performance as the doomed protagonist. And the script is both poetic and moving, reveling in its characters' amorality w/o letting anyone find either freedom or redemption.

Foe tha Love of $

Absolutely great film noir with a captivating performance from Widmark and some beautiful use of chiaroscuro lighting! The last act stumbles a bit with some pacing problems but that is my only gripe with this film.

The female leads are named Gene and Googie

I love Richard Widmark's manic, sweaty performance. This guy was literally dripping sweat throughout most of the movie and the manic nature of his character just adds to the desperation of everything that happens. Great ending, very noirish and the whole thing is just incredibly sleazy.

Brilliantly written, acted, and directed, Night and the City offers nary a bright or positive moment. And that's how I like my noir.

A great sense of atmosphere and a fantastic performance by Richard Widmark, who owns this film,makes this one of the finest noir's I've seen.

This is a film noir classic. It's an incredible achievement that a film with such unlikable characters manages to have such a gripping narrative.

A heart-pounding ride from start to finish. Widmark is perfect as the cocky, scheming Harry Fabian. It's not just a great film noir, it's an excellent movie period.

Fantastic.

Excellent piece of film noir. Relentlessly grim, beautifully shot, at times frantic (and downright thrilling) but not without moments of melancholy, with a terrific cast of characters not least of which is the main character Harry Fabian who will cheat over anyone and everyone to make it big or just to save his own behind. Watching his exploits never ceases to be gripping as he desperately struggles to stay one step ahead of failure.

It's not breathtaking, and some scenes are unnecessary or a bit boring. But the highlights are pretty stunning.

R.I.P. Richard Widmark

A masterpiece of film noir, made with utmost care. It excels in every department, from Dassin's meticulous directing and the gripping performances - Widmark is on FIRE - right down to makeup. The script, apart from biting irony typical to the genre, has insight, warmth and roundness. Even the littlest of characters is well written and well played.

Widmark and Co. with the direction of Dassin make this the best film noir ever. Criminally underrated.

The chiaroscuro drenched London provides one of my favorite backdrops to such a frantic, condemned film noir. Harry Fabian is constantly running from one desperate last chance to the next. At the same time, Dassin's direction is balanced and precise, with some excellent photography, stark lighting, and labyrinthine set pieces (Nosseross' night club is the noir highlight of the movie). Definitive.

Gripping story of a perpetual loser always trying to score big who gets in way over his head. The photography was super and I was never bored. I'm not a big Richard Widmark fan, but Francis Sullivan is always a pleasure.

One of the best film noirs ever made, and has perhaps the best noir cinematography of any; chiaroscuro has never been as heavily emphasized as this, with extreme contrasts and shadows lurking in every corner. Widmark's panicked, worrisome Harry Fabian is one of the great noir characters, perhaps the best example of the down-on-his-luck-loser archetype. The impending doom is relentless.

Solid noir. The plot is good and fairly unpredictable. Richard Widmark is excellent as Harry Fabian; his performance is easily the movie's single greatest achievement. But there are some flaws. For one thing, there are too many damn characters. It's not that it was confusing -- more like unnecessary. In addition to that, there's some hammy 50's style acting, and some generic and overdone 50's soundtrack stylings. But I still enjoyed it.

"That's what I do to your clowns."

Brutal.

I wish my legs were full of gravy-snakes

Harry's "got everything", as a character puts it, "but is a dead man", a doomed antihero always looking for cash and a way to the top, always on the run. The dialogue is to-the-point but poetic ("Harry's an artist without an art"), the cinematograpy assured and often claustrophobic, and the play with light and shadow beautiful and expressive and, actually, very, very moving...

Withers and Sullivan were terrific in their supporting roles and this film is definitely "noir" through and through. However, I felt a critical moment in the plot failed to create the recipe for Fabian's demise.

Entertaining collaboration between Richard Widmark (fast becoming my favorite actor) and Jules Dassin (a creative, intelligent director). I love Dassin's visual style. Many noir directors use shadow indiscriminately, but Dassin seems to understand the proper use of chiaroscuro. His shots are always so well-composed and balanced. The story may have lost some steam after the wrestling match, but this is still a whopper of a flick. Recommended viewing.

Incredible film; when I popped this in, I hadn't expected to be presented with the most exciting wrestling match I've ever seen in a movie. Wonderful from beginning to end.

What a fun movie. Harry Fabian is creepy and fun to watch at the same time. Awesom!

It may be set in London, but it's very much the sort of film that gets held up today as a prime example of "film noir"; black and white, lots of shadows, lots of dirty dealings, and most of the characters are fuckheads. The protag in particular is a massive sleazeball, and the whole story is basically about how he'll cajole, manipulate, and outright fuck anyone in his ongoing attempt to be a big shot. The fight sequence (you'll know which one) is guaranteed to bring the house down