Cubussoli Very very predictable, including the post credit scene !!!

BootDigest Such a frustrating disappointment

RipDelight This is a tender, generous movie that likes its characters and presents them as real people, full of flaws and strengths.

Ginger Very good movie overall, highly recommended. Most of the negative reviews don't have any merit and are all pollitically based. Give this movie a chance at least, and it might give you a different perspective.

Fuzzy Wuzzy Yes. Time (and decades of TV Cop shows) has somewhat dulled the brilliant cutting-edge uniqueness of this once trend-setting Crime-Drama.Released in 1948 - The Naked City is presented in a semi-documentary format. Its story spans a 6 day investigation into the death, by drowning, of an attractive young fashion model named Jean Dexter.With there being no apparent signs of a struggle, Miss Dexter's death is at first taken to be a mere suicide since she was found drowned in her own bathtub. But after careful, step-by-step, investigation by Detective Dan Muldoon, it is soon revealed that this is clearly a case of murder of the most foul.Suspicion falls heavily on various shifty characters who all prove to have some sort of connection with a string of recent apartment burglaries.The Naked City's superb climax relentlessly builds to a heart-pounding, adrenaline-charged manhunt through the crowded streets and alleyways of NYC.Cinematographer, William Daniels, and, editor, Paul Weatherwax, both won Oscars for their excellent work on this first-rate film.

John austin I saw this movie for the first time on TCM recently. Barry Fitzgerald was an interesting choice for the lead. He showed up most often as a supporting player in his long career, but he played the key part of the experienced policemen well.Anyone who enjoys crime dramas will enjoy this movie. It gives you a real good snap shot of life all over New York City in that post war time period and meticulously documents street-level police investigative procedure. The lead in shot over the city must have inspired the almost identical shot used in West Side Story some years later.The story involves the murder of a single woman in an apartment. Suspicion initially settles on one of her male suitors who implicates himself by a string of lies he tells the police. Later on, the detectives discover a connection to a burglary ring which leads them to the actual killer.In the end, you get exactly what you expect from a 1940s cop movie. This film is not exactly film noir, but admittedly that's a subjective statement. It's real close in tone and subject matter, so you wouldn't be wrong in adding it to your film noir library. Enjoy this movie and spend some time in Hollywood's classic era!

Ben Larson Winner of two Oscars: Best Cinematography, Black-and-White for William H. Daniels, and Best Film Editing for Paul Weatherwax. Malvin Wald was also nominated for an Oscar for his screenplay.This docu-drama stars Barry Fitzgerald. I watched him the other night in The Quiet Man, and I remember him fondly from Going My Way, for which he got an Oscar.An interesting tidbit about Fitzgerald: There have been 11 actors nominated for two Oscars in the same year; most recently Cate Blanchett for Elizabeth: The Golden Age and for I'm Not There. Fitzgerald is the only actor who got two nominations for the same film. They gave the Best Actor award to Bing Crosby, and the Best Supporting Actor to Fitzgerald.They had a tendency to overact back then, but that is part of the charm of the movie.No fancy CSI, just old fashion police work; wearing out the shoe leather.

seymourblack-1 At the time of its release, "The Naked City" was a contemporary offering in the sense that it utilised the "docu-noir" and "Italian neorealist" styles which were popular during the late 1940s. More significantly, however, it was also incredibly innovative and influential because, not only was it the first movie to be shot entirely on-location in New York City but also it's widely acknowledged as being the first movie to show in detail, the very routine nature of a police investigation. This effectively paved the way for all the police procedural films that followed and so its significance in cinema history is difficult to overstate.The role that the city plays is enormous as its presence and characteristics are re-emphasised repeatedly throughout the film. The use of location shooting, views of the subways and non-professionals in some of the supporting roles, all add authenticity to the action and shots of children at play, street vendors and busy streets convey a strong sense of the vitality of the city and its relentless nature.When the dead body of a beautiful young woman is found in her apartment by her housekeeper, Detective Lieutenant Dan Muldoon (Barry Fitzgerald) and his young partner, Detective Jimmy Halloran (Don Taylor) are assigned to the case. After the medical examiner confirms that Jean Dexter (who was a model), had been murdered, Muldoon questions the housekeeper, Martha Swenson (Virginia Mullen) about her employer's friends and this leads to Frank Niles (Howard Duff), Dr Lawrence Stoneman (House Jameson) and Ruth Morrison (Dorothy Hart) all being interviewed by the detectives.Niles had been one of the victim's ex-boyfriends who had since become engaged to Ruth Morrison. He proves to be an inveterate liar and further checks establish that he'd sold a gold cigarette case that had been stolen from Dr Stoneman and that his fiancée's engagement ring had also been stolen. Dr Stoneman confirms that he had prescribed the sleeping tablets that had been found in the victim's apartment and Ruth Morrison, a model who'd worked with Dexter, is soon regarded as not being involved in any wrongdoing.Further investigations reveal that Jean Dexter and Frank Niles had been involved in arranging jewellery thefts and that they had hired other criminals to actually carry out the robberies. This information then leads to the killer's identity and motive finally being discovered.The police officers in this movie are depicted as being good humoured, scrupulously honest and not at all cynical. Muldoon is a very friendly and experienced detective who has spent most of his career dealing with homicide investigations and Barry Fitzgerald is amusing but also sometimes a little over-the-top in the way that he portrays this Irishman. Don Taylor is good in his role as Halloran who is Muldoon's very enthusiastic and well-meaning partner and Howard Duff provides some moments of humour in his excellent performance as the disreputable Niles who is unable to open his mouth without telling a series of lies. Ted de Corsia also makes a strong impression in his minor part as a harmonica-playing wrestler!Producer Mark Hellinger's narration is very dated but Jules Dassin's direction and the quality of William H Daniels' Oscar-winning cinematography are both very impressive. Another outstanding highlight of this film is the final chase sequence which is both exciting and brilliantly choreographed.