Stadt im Dunkel (1950)

Stadt im Dunkel: Directed by William Dieterle. With Charlton Heston, Lizabeth Scott, Viveca Lindfors, Dean Jagger. Gamblers who “took” an out-of-town sucker in a crooked poker game feel shadowy vengeance closing in on them.

“While the most notable aspect of this film on paper maybe that it features the debut starring role of Charlton Heston, it actually has a lot more going for it, being a better than average noir thriller. The morality-tale drama revolves around a seedy little story of three, practiced if hardly chummy card-sharps, one of whom is nightclub manager Heston, who set up a travelling innocent for a fall, tricking him in a crooked game out of the $5000 heu0026#39;s bearing for a good cause. However when the victim hangs himself the next day in remorse at his loss and shame, the trio donu0026#39;t reckon on the manu0026#39;s avenging brother who hits town and starts to take retribution against them one by one.u003cbr/u003eu003cbr/u003eIn a sub-plot, Heston is also being pursued, although this time more agreeably, by sultry nightclub singer Lizabeth Scott while another notable background character is a supposedly u0026quot;punchyu0026quot; ex-boxer played by M.A.S.H.u0026#39;s Harry Morgan, who acts as Hestonu0026#39;s loyal, good-natured sidekick, although thereu0026#39;s not much evidence provided as to his actual slowness, indeed heu0026#39;s one of the better judges of character in the movie.u003cbr/u003eu003cbr/u003eDirector William Dieterle ratchets up the tension nicely as three become two becomes one and Hestonu0026#39;s last man standing, now humanised somewhat by meeting and slightly improbably romancing the dead manu0026#39;s widow and befriending her orphaned child, awaits his turn at the massive hands of the revenging sibling wearing the big black ring. The dialogue is sharp, the characterisations credible and I also liked the u0026quot;Casablancau0026quot;-type, although more uplifting, ending.u003cbr/u003eu003cbr/u003eBesides capably employing staple noir devices like shadows, darkness and dread, the movie is notable for the excellent songs given to Scott to perform, the most famous of which is the evergreen u0026quot;That Old Black Magicu0026quot; but also featuring the superb torch-song u0026quot;Letter From A Lady In Loveu0026quot;.u003cbr/u003eu003cbr/u003eHeston leads the cast in already recognisably commanding manner and Scott, Morgan, Ed Begley and especially Jack Webb, later of u0026quot;Dragnetu0026quot;, bring their characters to life in his wake.u003cbr/u003eu003cbr/u003eAll in all, an effective lesser known noir well worth watching.”