99 River Street

The story for '99 River Street' sounded great. Have always liked films with this kind of story and the genre it fits under. Phil Karlson is not one of my favourite directors and there is plenty more of his work to see, but what has been seen has impressed me ('Gunman's Walk' being one of his best). Know John Payne better from much lighter fare and musicals, and he was generally watchable. Did worry though as to whether the role here would suit him and whether he would have enough presence in it. My worries quickly evaporated very soon into my viewing of '99 River Street'. It may not be lavish in budget, it is not that type of film, but never does it look cheap (quite the opposite) and it is far from modest in how it approached its subject. '99 River Street' does see Payne excelling in tougher roles and shows that he did indeed have the presence needed for his role here. It is to me one of Karlson's best, up there with 'Gunman's Walk'. To me, this was an extremely good film in almost every way. Let down only, though this is nit-picky and not that distracting, by it ending a little too neatly. '99 River Street' on the other hand looks pretty darn good for modest budget. Found the photography to be incredibly stylish and full of atmosphere and there was nothing phony-looking about the sets. The lighting is also suitably eerie. Karlson's direction is always confident and tight yet controlled, keeping things moving at a strong pace and not letting the suspense slip. The music didn't come over as over-scored or too low-key and was haunting when necessary. Furthermore, '99 River Street' benefits further from a lean and intelligent script that doesn't hold back while having some slyness too. The story is gritty, tough and the latter stages are genuinely suspenseful. Some may talk about suspension of disbelief but to me that wasn't a problem (nothing insulted my intelligence or annoyed me), with the story being so absorbing and atmospheric, with memorable scenes such as the climax and in the theatre. The subject is a hard-boiled one executed with edge. The characters did engage me and came over as real. Payne is a charismatic and thoroughly committed lead and plays a hard-hitting role with edge, charm and intensity without being too dour. Evelyn Keyes is a no-nonsense and lively match for him and Brad Dexter's ruthlessness is quite chilling. Jack Lambert is also memorable, all the acting works. In short, great film and deserving of more exposure. 9/10

99 River Street is directed by Phil Karlson and adapted to screenplay by Robert Smith from a story by George Zuckerman. It stars John Payne, Evelyn Keyes, Brad Dexter, Frank Faylen, Jay Adler, Eddie Waller and Peggie Castle. Music is by Arthur Lange and Emil Newman and cinematography by Franz Planer. After sustaining a serious eye injury, boxer Ernie Driscoll (Payne) has had to retire from the ring and now drives a cab for a living. Constantly chided by his beautiful wife, Pauline (Castle), for being a failure, Ernie is close to breaking point when he finds that she is having an affair with a charismatic jewel thief. So when Pauline turns up dead in the back of Ernie's cab, he's obviously the chief suspect. But along with actress friend Linda James (Keyes), he attempts to unravel the mystery that is threatening to destroy his life. Tough as old boots, 99 River Street is the kind of unsung film noir crying out to be discovered by more like minded cinephiles. Though short of expressionistic verve, which was never Karlson's thing anyway, all the elements for a nitty-gritty noir are in place. New York forms the backdrop as a city of broken dreams, shattered illusions, a place frequented by unfaithful spouses, shifty fences, violent thieves and theatrical luvvies so far removed from the real post war world it would be funny were it no so sad! Smack bang in the middle of this tainted Americana is Ernie Driscoll, basically a good guy, but when pushed into a corner emotionally or physically, he strikes out in the only way he knows how, with his fists. As Karlson blurs the lines between the theatrical world and that of the real one, deftly essayed by Ernie and Linda, the director is clearly enjoying having such colourful characters to work with. Payne's tough guy anti-hero, Keyes' savvy heroine, Adler's unerringly menacing fence, Dexter's oily villain and Castle's disgustingly selfish wife. Throw in some thugs, persistent coppers and humane counterpoints portrayed by Faylen and Waller, and it's a nicely simmering broth of bad news, sexual suggestion and off-kilter redemption's. Violence is rife, and it's not the sort of staged violence that reeks of fake scents, this stuff hits hard, something which Karlson was always very adept at. The director also introduces some striking filming techniques to pump the picture with an edgy frankness. The opening sequence featuring Ernie's last fight is wonderfully staged, low angles and close ups put the sweat and pain front and centre, it's a smart set-up for when the story comes full circle at film's punchy finale. Another sequence features a panic stricken Linda begging Ernie for his help with something, the camera sticks rigidly to her, this also is a delightful set-up that has a sting in the tail. There's mirror images dropped in, scene echoes that mean something of note, one of which sees Karlson film a shot dead centre through the spread legs of Castle. So cheeky, and what a pair of legs as well! An unsung noir full of unsung actors (Payne is excellent) and directed with cunning absorption, 99 River Street is a must see. 8/10

During the dispute of the box championship, the boxer Ernie Driscoll (John Payne) loses the fight and the champion damages his optic nerve. Ernie is forced to quit his career and becomes a taxi driver in New York. His wife Pauline Driscoll (Peggie Castle) blames him for their simple life and their relationship is not good. The quick-tempered Ernie usually meets his friend, the aspirant actress Linda James (Evelyn Keyes), at the bar where he drinks coffee late night. Pauline has a love affair with the elegant thief Victor Rawlins (Brad Dexter) and she helps him to steal a fortune in diamonds from a man called Dutch. Meanwhile Linda lures Ernie to be cast in a play but when she learns that the producer has accused Ernie to the police to promote his play, she regrets and decides to help him. Meanwhile Victor kills Pauline to sell the jewels to a powerful fence and frames Ernie so that he can travel abroad. Now Ernie and Linda need to track Victor down to prove his innocence, but the fence and his gang are also chasing Victor to kill him. "99 River Street" is a different, underrated, fast-paced and violent film-noir. The story and the screenplay are engaging and the direction and performances are top-notch. The conclusion with a happy-ending is also unusual in this genre but works very well in this film. My vote is nine. Title (Brazil): "A Morte Ronda o Cais" (""Death Prowls the Habour")

This is definitive film noir where the hero must prove he isn't guilty of a crime and has to deal with the thugs out to frame him and a woman who gets him into more trouble than he ever expected. JOHN PAYNE excels as the scowling fighter who has a couple of really well-staged fight scenes with JACK LAMBERT and BRAD DEXTER, outside the ring and in the dark underworld of crime and passion. The surprise of this low-budget thriller is EVELYN KEYES as an ambitious actress who gets Payne unknowingly involved in her attempt to land a Broadway role wherein she plays a nasty trick on him. Then, to make up for her rash behavior and poor judgment, she sticks by him when he needs a witness to prove he didn't murder his wife, played with relish by PEGGY CASTLE. Under Phil Karlson's direction, it's all wildly unpredictable with enough sub-plots and twists to make it engrossing from start to finish. Payne was after meatier roles after leaving Fox in all of those pretty boy roles and musicals, establishing a new persona as a tough film noir hero, rugged and ready for the fight. He's excellent and so are the other players. Keyes reveals raw acting talent of astonishing intensity, especially in the key scene where she plays a theatrical trick on him--and the viewer. As usual, an actor who once played leading roles at Fox, GLENN LANGAN, is wasted in a minor role. FRANK FAYLEN gives his usual reliable performance as Payne's taxi driver friend. Well worth watching if you're a film noir fan and don't mind a gritty tale that doesn't pull its punches.

The only reason I watched this clunker was it was on Turner Movies and has touted so highly by the guest that night. Yes, the settings are truly good film noir. And the plot had its high moments ... and low ones. The twist in the theatre was imaginative, if not believable. But the idea that this actress (where did they find her??? Was she really sleeping with the producer of THIS movie)would give up her so sought after part to follow the boxer around like puppy dog was ludicrous. As was her "acting." it's no wonder this movie is "unknown." Better it had stayed that way! The lead actor is quite good and the supporting cast is also, for the most part. I wasn't in NYC in the 50's, but I'll bet this is the way it was as for atmosphere.

Adding my simple and direct...Payne's personal individuality sweats off the screen in this top notch noir. This is must see for anyone who loves mystery, noir or film at all. Lack of top rung stars makes all the better and at least four performances couldn't be be improved. Cinematography simple but effective, although some dubious shots at end. Flaws include melodrama at start and finish but they don't affect the core 80 minutes. Payne is brilliant even when dull or dumb. Evil wifey way sexy in the pantheon of evil chicks, but the 10 second cigarette lighting event at the end burns steals the limited sexy award in the film (still trying to research how many takes it took). The violence is pretty real for that time and only two short periods of hokum in the film, probably to keep it palatable in theaters at the time. Shockingly unknown, some of the characters from KC Confidential keep the all pieces in place, but 99 River Street is more intense and less surreal than that standard. Enjoy.

Ernie Driscoll (John Payne) loses his heavyweight boxing crown and has to endure the nagging tirades of his wife. She realizes that Ernie`s defeat and his deteriorating fighting abilities will mean no more big paychecks. She gets involved with Brad Dexter ( a small time hood) hoping that Dexter`s big time ambitions will help to elevate her social and financial status. However when Dexter does hit it big, her demands and threats incur his ire and he kills her. Driscoll is blamed and now has to find out who did kill his wife. From here on in the action is fast and furious. Evelyn Keyes and Frank Faylen are his allies (Keyes, a budding actress and Faylen a buddy working with Driscoll as a cab driver) who ably assist in the dangerous quest to find the killer. Earlier in the film Keyes had tricked Payne (Driscoll) into believing that she had killed a man during an argument. Payne follows her to the scene of the "crime" which appears to have occurred on the stage of an empty theatre. She becomes hysterical as she looks at the body, Payne comforts her and tries to calm her. The murder is a hoax. Keyes is on trial to display her acting skills. The lights go on and several people appear, all applauding the performance given by Keyes. Driscoll is furious and attacks them knocking the nearest man down. His anger is short lived and he befriends her realizing that his violent attack had probably lost her the role for which she was auditioning. A series of encounters with other hoods (also looking for Dexter and whatever he has) eventually leads to the location of Dexter. The final scene takes place on the deck of a ship where Dexter is planning to make his escape. A fight between him and Payne results in a confession and the subsequent exoneration of Payne. One thing I find very realistic in movies starring John Payne, and that is that his fights all seem to underline his obvious skill at being able to throw punches that any boxer would be proud of. Watch his fistic display during a fight he has with Jack Lambert. This happens midway through the film when Payne corners Lambert in a sleazy hotel room and "persuades" him to reveal the whereabouts of Dexter. A film full of action and tension, see it I think you`ll agree.

99 River Street finds John Payne cast as a former heavyweight boxer now driving a cab having lost his chance at the title due to an eye injury in the same bout. His wife Peggie Castle who married him in his glamor days is running around with professional thief Brad Dexter behind Payne's back. Of course he's quite a bit put out when he discovers this. But Castle's bought into a lot more than she could chew. Dexter killed a man on a robbery in which Castle had earlier cased the joint. As a result fence Jay Adler doesn't want to know from him or the jewels he robbed. And Castle's ready to come apart. Adler makes it clear he doesn't like dealing with women as a general rule in any case. What to do, but murder Castle and frame Payne for it. But fortunately Payne has Evelyn Keyes along who witnesses the shock when Payne finds Castle's body dumped in his cab. She's already involved Payne in her own little scheme for Broadway stardom that didn't quite work out. But she initially comes off as an airhead, but in reality proves to be good when the going gets tough. Phil Karlson who directed Payne in one of my favorite noir films Kansas City Confidential has Payne's character revved up to a white hot fury. This is not a man to get in the way of when he's on a mission. Sad to say though he is a bit of fathead when it comes to picking women and they seem to run rings around him. It does kind of detract from him as a hero. Producer Edward Small and director Karlson got a great group of supporting players like Eddy Waller, Jack Lambert, and most of all Frank Faylen as his former trainer now his cab dispatcher to support his stars besides the ones I already mention. Payne's final scene with Brad Dexter is reminiscent of his championship fight. 99 River Street while not up to Kansas City Confidential's standards is still pretty good and will keep your attention to John Payne and his mission.

Not the meandering KANSAS CITY CONFIDENTIAL. This one has all his best elements: terse, supremely functional scenes, casual brutality, a visual style emphasizing the coarse, glaring surface of things, a view of the world as one big "con" (with actors (!) featured as moral shysters in this case), and a plot that barrels along like a freight train. It also features a surprisingly sympathetic lead character (great job of low-key acting from Payne)and believable interchanges between him and the good and bad women in the film. The ending is a marvel of staging, lighting, and camera movement. This film is the main basis of Karlson's genuine (if minor) film legacy.

Wow! Here's a nifty little noir that doesn't pull its punches. Frank, nasty and brutal, it's the story of an ex-boxer with a bad temper who's still boiling over the defeat that ended his career four years earlier. Now he's driving cab and dreaming of better times ahead when he finds out his wife is fooling around on him. He does another dishy dame a favour only to be played for a sucker. And it's still early in the evening. By the middle of the night he's mixed up with murder and a nest of scumbags. I've had bad days - and nights - but nothing like this. This movie has energy to spare, and conviction, and characters who get under your skin one way or another. The hero, Ernie (John Payne), is a seething cauldron, and that's okay because he's up for a good fight, not so okay for his wife (Peggie Castle) who wants out. You'd want him on your side, though - even if he's down for the count he'll always get up to fight another round. The dish (Evelyn Keyes) turns out to have what it takes, and her acting and seducing skills make for a dynamite scene near the end. For once the writers know what to do with a back story, with the boxing theme skillfully played throughout the movie and orchestrated into a white-knuckle climax and satisfying conclusion. As for Keyes and that scene - the movie could have been called "Cashmere Becomes Her" - it's hot, hot, hot! When she lights her cigarette from sleazoid Brad Dexter's smoldering fag tip, the tendrils of smoke caressing both their faces, I had to pinch myself to see if I was having a wet dream. Sex and violence are the key ingredients here - and cinematic exuberance. You couldn't ask for more. Just have your Nicorettes handy.