Night and the City

8.5/10. Watched this yesterday evening on DVD.

Another strong thriller from Jules Dassin (Thieves' Highway), this was the last movie the blacklisted director would make for Hollywood until the mid-60s. (Dassin was, in fact, officially "through" before this movie went into production -- which is why it was shot in London and why he wasn't allowed to meet with composer Franz Waxman or the movie's editor during postproduction.)

The blacklist would turn out to be a blessing in disguise for Dassin. Never particularly lauded in the States, his first movie in France, the brilliant Rififi, won the Best Director award at the Cannes Film Festival in 1955 and helped launch an acclaimed international career.