Pun Salad

This DVD from Netflix was out of the Criterion Collection, which means it's of major cinematic interest. (It also means topnotch audio and video quality, something you don't always get from Netflix.) And here's the deal: it's one of the earliest movies (and may be the earliest movie) filmed on location in New York City.

At the beginning of the movie, we see the crimes: in the wee hours, a shadowy pair knock out a woman in an apartment, then prepare to drown her in the bathtub. Later that morning, one of the perpetrators drowns the other in the East River. The homicide detectives of Manhattan's 10^th are soon on the case. Chief among them is Dan Muldoon, played by Barry Fitzgerald with an Irish accent as thick as you'd hear in Dublin. (Imagine a leprechaun crossed with Dirty Harry.) He commands the investigation, paying special attention to newly-minted detective Jimmy Halloran (Don Taylor). They are relentless. Netted early is Frank Niles, played by the great Howard Duff, a shameless but inept liar.

Anyone interested in what NYC looked like shortly after the war will want to check this out. Well over a hundred different locations were used; many street scenes were filmed without the knowledge of the crowds.

The movie is irritatingly narrated throughout by the movie's producer, Mark Hellinger. (Including the opening credits, which aren't seen onscreen.) The novelty wears off quickly.