While the City Sleeps (1956)
Death of media magnat Amos Kyne is causing power struggle between his executives. In the meantime New York women become prey of a serial killer... (imdb)
Cast and Information
Directed By: Fritz Lang
Written By: Casey Robinson, Charles Einstein
Starring: Vincent Price, George Sanders, Dana Andrews, Ida Lupino, Thomas Mitchell, James Craig, Howard Duff, Rhonda Fleming, John Drew Barrymore, Sally Forrest
Genres: Drama, Suspense/Thriller, Crime
Country: USA
Where to Stream
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While the City Sleeps belongs to 22 collections
1. Film Noir (collaborative: moderated by PeaceAnarchy - 55 stars)
2. They Shoot Pictures 1,000 Greatest Films (2008 revision) (collaborative: moderated by Scottathon - 39 stars)
3. They Shoot Pictures 250 Quintessential Noir Films (collaborative: moderated by PeaceAnarchy - 38 stars)
4. Jonathan Rosenbaum's Top 1000 Movies (collaborative: moderated by PeaceAnarchy - 38 stars)
5. They Shoot Pictures 1,000 Greatest Films (2010 revision) (collaborative: moderated by MMAlpha - 32 stars)
6. They Shoot Pictures 1,000 Greatest Films (2012 revision) (collaborative: moderated by PeaceAnarchy - 25 stars)
7. They Shoot Pictures' Recommended Viewing (collaborative: moderated by Cinephile - 19 stars)
8. They Shoot Pictures 1,000 Greatest Films (2011 revision) (collaborative: moderated by PeaceAnarchy - 14 stars)
9. Films available in HD (collaborative: moderated by kubricksucks - 13 stars)
10. 1,000 Noir Films: They Shot Dark Pictures, Didn't They? (collaborative: moderated by lisa- - 9 stars)
11. Jonathan Rosenbaum's Alternative Top 100 (collaborative: moderated by iconogassed - 7 stars)
12. Films referenced in Histoire(s) du cinéma (collaborative: moderated by PeaceAnarchy - 5 stars)
13. They Shoot Pictures 1,000 Greatest Films (2007 revision) (collaborative: moderated by Scottathon - 4 stars)
14. List: Noir of the Week (collaborative: moderated by KasperL - 3 stars)
15. The 100 Best Film Noirs of All Time: Slant Magazine (public: TychoCelchuu - 2 stars)
16. Sight and Sound 2002 (Single Vote) (collaborative: moderated by PeaceAnarchy - 1 star)
17. Cinetheque (public: allegreller - 1 star)
18. List: TSPDT's 100 Noir Films (public: KasperL - 1 star)
19. Cahiers du Cinema favorites (collaborative: moderated by svenerik)
20. Warner Archive Collection (collaborative: moderated by allegreller)
21. Versátil Home Video (collaborative: moderated by allegreller)
22. Forrest Watch List (public: ForrestQ)
Browse the full list of collections
| Stars | User | Rating | |
| 2 |  |
ribcage | 74 66th |
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No one's precisely good, or bad (other than the killer), and it's delicious. It's less the grim moral ambiguity of say a Huston noir, and more real, more like people you might meet in real life. As I make my way through Lang's films I'm finding this to be his special ability. Even in the lack of flourishes in lighting and shadow, his characters exhibit stark, very human contrasts and contradictions.
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CloseFriend | 81 77th |
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Fritz Lang takes a novel approach to noir, using a serial killer (striking in a chilling cold open) as a backdrop to explore the internecine conflicts within a large news organization. From this unusual angle, Lang captures the essence of noir: an arrogant, pertinacious protagonist, an inimitably creepy killer, and several egoistic employees who can't betray each other fast enough. The story flows organically from these characters' motivations and decisions, spinning a very well-made noir tale.
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joseywales | 69 53rd |
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Didn't care too much for this one. The serial killer bit seemed shoehorned into a plodding newspaper story to add some bulk, but it almost destroys the pacing and makes this film a bit of a snoozer. And really, take one look at the killer, I've never seen anyone look so guilty!
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oskarhu | 80 73rd |
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The complex story wasn't as polished as it could've been but the cast did a great job.
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Valenzetti | 79 54th |
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What an odd little movie; it can't decide whether it wants to be a workplace comedy or a thriller. Dana Andrews makes up for George Sanders being underused.
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afx237vi | 30 13th |
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Towards the end of the film there's a short chase sequence through some subway tunnels where you get to see a glimpse of Lang's flair as a director, but the rest is utterly pedestrian. A murder mystery where the murderer (sort of like a juvenile delinquent Norman Bates) is revealed in the opening scene combined with a tedious soap opera about office politics. Very disappointing.
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| Average Percentile 54.21% from 239 Ratings |  |