Republic Turns Down a Dark Alley

City That Never Sleeps (1953) Back From Long Sleep

First off, this has what must be considered a definitive title for a noir thriller. I'm surprised someone hadn't used it prior to 1953 (other than for a 20's silent), or for that matter, since. Close as Republic came to "A" noir, City That Never Sleeps has a good cast, production polish, and a story in quest of something beyond cops and crime. My vote's with anyone who'll cast Chill Wills as Christ figure with a badge, his character not unlike what Ian Hunter played in 1940's Strange Cargo. City is one night in lives of intermingling desperates, Gig Young's badge accumulating tarnish as he pursues quarry barely less corrupt. William Talman represents criminal element at reluctant behest of Edward Arnold, who's got Marie Windsor for a wife, thus assurance of double-crossings and sudden death. Dialogue strives toward poetic amidst gunplay, an odd conceit memorable even when it falters. Variety was more succinct: "too wordy" and "goes overboard" being their not inapt verdict. Difference between then and now is our firmer embrace of noirs that dared to be different, and willingness to forgive missteps. The streets are Chicago, Sleep's premiere there giving the Roosevelt Theatre its best week in two years, according to trades. Skylines are nicely captured and more so for Blu-Ray delivery by Olive, whose release of City That Never Sleeps represents a first time the show has been seen for decades. Noir completists have by now dipped beaks, as should anyone who likes the offbeat among crime thrillers.