New York noir: 20 films that explore the big city's dark corners

John Garfield, Thomas Gomez, ‘Force of Evil’ (1948).

By Paul Parcellin

It might not come as news to you that noirs set in New York City look a lot different from the ones taking place in Los Angeles. The City of Angels is a sun bleached sprawl of low buildings between the ocean and desert. New York is a vertical jungle of high rises and red brick walk-ups, wrought iron fire escapes and wide avenues. It boxes you in with concrete, brick and glass that lets in just a few shafts of dusty light. Trains roar overhead on steel trestles with an insistent racket that drowns out the steady growl of street traffic. 

Claustrophobic and murky even in daylight, the New York of noir seems to exist in a world that has broken free of its solar orbit. It’s a place to get lost in, but not a spot where you can hide for very long — its streets are teeming with snitches who’ll give you up in a heartbeat.

Here’s a sampling of films noir with a New York accent:

Allen Baron, ‘Blast of Silence.’

“Blast of Silence” (1961) 

Hitman Frankie Bono (Allen Baron) returns to his hometown, New York, Christmas week but his visit is hardly festive - he’s there to kill another mobster. He coldly stalks his quarry, yet seeing the old neighborhood stirs up troubling memories.

“Cry of the City” (1948) 

Hardened criminal Martin Rome (Richard Conte) is awaiting surgery after taking some slugs in a shootout with police. He may hold the key to a jewel robbery and murder, for which a man is on death row. His childhood friend, police Lt. Vittorio Candella (Victor Mature), is determined to get to the bottom of it all. 

“The Dark Corner” (1946)

Art dealer Hardy Cathcart (Clifton Webb) jealously watches over his straying trophy wife Mari (Cathy Downs) and sparks a chain of events that put private eye Bradford Galt (Mark Stevens) on the spot. Galt’s gal Friday, Kathleen Stewart (Lucille Ball), provides support. 

William Challee, Bill Williams, ‘Deadline at Dawn.’

“Deadline at Dawn” (1946)

Sailor Alex Winkley (Bill Williams) and dancehall girl June Goffe (Susan Hayward) spend a long night trying to solve a murder. He woke up with a pocketful of cash he received from the victim. Now he's only got until daybreak to figure it out.

“Force of Evil” (1948)

Leo Morse (Thomas Gomez), a small timer in the numbers racket, is like a pressurized canister of hydrogen about to explode. His brother, crooked lawyer Joe (John Garfield), is the spark that sets him off. A two-fisted dramatic powerhouse.

“House of Strangers” (1949)

Banker Gino Monetti (Edward G. Robinson) is in hot water with the authorities over his questionable business practices. His son, attorney Max Monetti (Richard Conte), defends Gino in court and watches his father's back as Max's siblings scheme.

“I Walk Alone” (1948)

The hootch business is unrecognizable to Frankie Madison (Burt Lancaster) after 14 years in the jug — it's gone corporate. Frankie wants his cut, but Noll “Dink" Turner (Kirk Douglas) ain’t paying. B-list Burt and Kirk, but still hard-boiled.

Jamie Smith, ‘Killer's Kiss.’

“Killer’s Kiss” (1955)

Stanley Kubrick's sophomore effort is about a boxer (Jamie Smith), a gangster (Frank Silvera) and a taxi dancer (Irene Kane). The script isn't rock solid, but the film's atmospheric depiction of New York's seamier side makes up for it. 

“Kiss of Death” (1947)

As delinquent psychopaths go, Tommy Udo (Richard Widmark) is the unabashed supreme leader in his field. Maniacal laugh? Got it. Unbridled cruelty to the infirm? You know it. It's a bone-rattling performance that elevates "Kiss of Death” to dizzying heights.

“The Naked City” (1948)

Veteran Det. Lt. Dan Muldoon (Barry Fitzgerald) and his green partner Det. Jimmy Halloran (Don Taylor) investigate the murder of a former model. Along the way they discover a swindler and a rash of jewel thefts that may be related to the killing.

Harry Belafonte, Ed Begley, Robert Ryan, ‘Odds Against Tomorrow.’

“Odds against Tomorrow” (1959)

Racist ex-con Earl Slater (Robert Ryan) reluctantly agrees to knock over a bank with David Burke (Ed Begley) and Johnny Ingram (Harry Belafonte), who is black. But the undercurrent of hatred threatens to scuttle Burke's flawless plan.

“Phantom Lady” (1944) 

It's a no-no to be seen in public wearing the same accessory as another. Identical chapeaus roil the waters in “Phantom Lady" (1944), a story of murder, gaslighting and a fashion faux pas. The film also boasts one of noir's wildest jazz band scenes, to boot.

“Pickup on South Street” (1953)

Pickpocket Skip McCoy (Richard Widmark) inadvertently swipes microfilm from a spy ring courier. Street peddler Moe (Thelma Ritter) can help G-Men recover top-secret information after she figures out that Skip is their man. But her info ain't free.

Joan Bennett, Edward G. Robinson, ‘Scarlet Street.’

“Scarlet Street” (1945)

Aging Sunday painter Christopher Cross (Edward G. Robinson) is putty in the hands of two sharpies, Kitty March (Joan Bennett) and Johnny Prince (Dan Duryea). New York, Milwaukee, and Atlanta banned the film in early 1946 due to its dark plot.

“Side Street” (1949)

When you think you're stealing $200 and it turns out to be 30 grand instead, that's good news … maybe. Not so for Joe Norson (Farley Granger), who snags a bundle of loot from a mouthpiece with some very bad cohorts.

“Sorry, Wrong Number” (1948) 

Crossed wires allow Leona Stevenson (Barbara Stanwyck) to overhear talk of a murder plot. While faulty phone service can be a drag, being a target for murder is worse. And hubby Henry J. Stevenson (Burt Lancaster) has left her home alone.

Tony Curtis, Burt Lancaster, ‘Sweet Smell of Success.’

“Sweet Smell of Success” (1957)

Some would argue that "The Sweet Smell of Success" (1957) isn't noir. Balderdash! It's got the look and feel of noir, plus it includes J. J. Hunsecker (Burt Lancaster), a ruthless gossip columnist who’s got sleazy press agent Sidney Falco (Tony Curtis) on the ropes.

“Where the Sidewalk Ends” (1950)

New York Police Det. Mark Dixon (Dana Andrews) finds that his family history can be like a noose around his neck. He violently lashes out at criminals because his father was one. Before long, that gets him into some very hot water.

“While the City Sleeps” (1956)

At the Kyne media syndicate, it's not enough to merely report the news, editors must solve a string of hideous crimes. In "While the City Sleeps" (1956), the "Lipstick Killer" terrorizes the city as the half-wit son running the news operation seems determined to fail.

Bobby Driscoll, ‘The Window.’ (1949)

“The Window” (1949)

Young Tommy Woodry (Bobby Driscoll) witnesses his neighbors kill a drunken sailor, but no one believes him. When Tommy is left home alone the murderous neighbors pay him a visit. They aim to silence him for good, and he's left to fend for himself.

The Big Knockoff: 14 Films With Armored Car Heists

Burt Lancaster, Tom Pedi, “Criss Cross” (1949).

Rolling bank vaults

a favored target

of daring hijackers

By Paul Parcellin 

If the movies are any indication, the 1940s and ’50s, especially the ’50s, must have been the golden age of armored car robberies — they were getting knocked over like clay pigeons in a shooting gallery.

A common armored car robbery movie plot: Ex-con, recently paroled, finds a crummy job. Meets a girl. Wants to impress the girl. Gets hungry for a big score. Joins a gang with a big scheme to tip over an armored vehicle. Risks life in prison or death (but what the hell). By showtime no one in the gang trusts anyone else in the gang. Ex-con doesn’t even trust the girl. The robbery goes down. Things go badly.

It’s fun just to see a complex heist plotted out in the low-tech middle of the last century. No closed circuit video, no satellite tracking devices, no cell phones — almost like robbing a stagecoach. Yet lawmen always seem to bust up those carefully laid plans.

With that in mind, here are 14 films from the days when we had a bumper crop of armored car robberies, at least in the movies:

Paul Fix, David Oliver, Irving Pichel, Robert Wilcox, “Armored Car.”

“Armored Car” (1937) 

Police Detective Larry Wills (Robert Wilcox), eager to prove himself, takes an assignment to infiltrate a gang that specializes in violent armored car robberies. The gang appears to have inside information and it might be coming from someone working for the armored car company. Likewise, gangster Tony Ballard (Cesar Romero), who sets up the robberies, begins to suspect there’s a mole in his crew.

George Raft, Humphrey Bogart, “Invisible Stripes.”

“Invisible Stripes” (1939)

Cliff Taylor (George Raft), gets out of prison and is determined to go straight, but finding work proves tough. His younger brother, Tim (William Holden), is in a dead-end job facing financial pressures. Cliff veers back into the dark side, reconnecting with his old associate Charles Martin (Humphrey Bogart), who is set to rob an armored car carrying payroll money. Cliff wants to give Tim enough cash to help keep him out of crime. But his good intentions end up backfiring. 

Humphrey Bogart, Chick Chandler, “The Big Shot.”

“The Big Shot” (1942)

Ex-con Duke Berne (Humphrey Bogart) wants to go straight, but then he reunites with old flame Lorna (Irene Manning) now married to shady attorney Martin Fleming (Stanley Ridges). She wants Duke to help her escape her loveless marriage. Martin uses his legal front to run a criminal enterprise and recruits Duke to take part in an armored car robbery. Duke resists, but caves in to protect Lorna.

Yvonne De Carlo, Burt Lancaster, “Criss Cross.”

“Criss Cross” (1949)

Steve Thompson (Burt Lancaster) rekindles his relationship with his ex- Anna (Yvonne De Carlo) but she’s married to gangster Slim Dundee (Dan Duryea). Slim finds Steve with Anna, and thinking fast, Steve tells Slim he came to propose a heist. The plan is to rob the armored car that Steve helps guard. Staging the robbery with Slim also allows him to stay close to Anna. But the holdup spins out of control and betrayal and double crosses doom Steve and Anna to a tragic end.


Armored Car Robbery

“Armored Car Robbery” (1950) 


Criminal mastermind Dave Purvis (William Talman) organizes a gang to rip off an armored car outside a Los Angeles stadium. When the heist goes down a policeman is shot and killed. Det. Lt. Jim Cordell (Charles McGraw) vows to bring the killers to justice. Purvis tries to double cross his gang and escape alone with the cash, but Cordell’s dogged police work leads to a final showdown. The film’s semi-documentary style, it’s tight 67-minute runtime and its focus on police procedure and criminal psychology make it a standout among its peers.


Wally Cassell, Steve Cochran, Richard Egan, Edward Norris,
Robert Webber, “Highway 301.”

“Highway 301” (1950) 


George Legenza (Steve Cochran) and his gang operate across Maryland, Virginia, and North Carolina, committing a series of robberies and murders. They’re cold-blooded and efficient, leaving a trail of bodies behind as they evade law enforcement. The film’s most intense action centers on the gang’s attempted armored car robbery. Legenza plans it carefully. He predicts that it will be their biggest score yet


Richard Basehart, Marilyn Maxwell, “Outside the Wall.”

“Outside the Wall” (1950) 


Larry Nelson (Richard Basehart), paroled after serving time for manslaughter, is determined to go straight. He takes a job at a rural sanitarium and soon discovers that the facility is being used by a gang planning an armored car robbery. The criminal ring operates under the cover of legitimate medical care, and Larry slowly becomes entangled in their scheme, especially when he falls for a nurse (Marilyn Maxwell) who may not be as innocent as she seems.


Lawrence Tierney, Marjorie Riordan, “The Hoodlum.”

“The Hoodlum” (1951) 


Hardened criminal Vincent Lubeck (Lawrence Tierney) is out on parole after serving a sentence. His straight-arrow brother gives him a job at his gas station, but Vincent, bored with the job, takes an interest in the armored car that makes regular stops at the bank across the street. He sets up a heist, and as the robbery unfolds things spiral out of control. Betrayal and needless bloodshed doom the caper.


John Payne, Lee Van Cleef, “Kansas City Confidential.”

“Kansas City Confidential” (1952)


Tim Foster (Preston Foster), a masked mastermind, plans a precise armored car robbery. To keep identities secret and prevent betrayal, he recruits three criminals — each masked during the planning and unaware of the others’ identities. The heist is executed with military precision, netting over a million dollars. Meanwhile, Joe Rolfe (John Payne), an ex-con working as a florist delivery driver, is unwittingly caught in the aftermath.


Noble 'Kid' Chissell, Jack Daly, Douglas Kennedy, “The Big Chase.”

“The Big Chase” (1954)


Det. Sgt. Dave Welton (Jim Davis) has to put his wedding plans on ice when a tip-off warns that an armored car robbery is in the works. Two-bit hood Benny McBride (Lon Chaney Jr.) is knee-deep in the planned heist that is being set up by gang leader Gus Henshaw (Anthony Caruso). Benny, desperate for money to support his pregnant wife, gets in over his head with the hardened criminals.


Tony Curtis, George Nader, “Six Bridges to Cross.”

“Six Bridges to Cross” (1955)


Jerry Florea (Tony Curtis), unable to resist the lure of fast money, falls in with a Boston gang planning a massive armored car robbery. The scheme includes using the city’s bridges and escape routes to their advantage. A big cash payout is at stake in this tension-filled operation, and it comes off without a hitch. But as the police close in, loyalties are tested.


Max Showalter, “Indestructible Man.”

“Indestructible Man” (1956) 


Ruthless gangster Charles “Butcher” Benton (Lon Chaney Jr.) is a sentenced to “the big sleep” for an armored car robbery in which he killed several guards. After the execution, a mad scientist uses electrical treatments to bring him back from the dead. But the reanimated gangster has become an indestructible killing machine. That’s bad news for the mugs who double-crossed him.


“The Rebel Set” (1959) 


Struggling writer John Mapes (Don Sullivan), angry rebel Ray Miller (Richard Bakalyan) and poor little rich kid George Leland (Jerome Cowan) hang out at a beatnik coffeehouse run by Mr. Tucker (Edward Platt). Mr. Tucker ropes the beatnik trio into a scheme to rob an armored car aboard a passenger train. The gang manages to steal the money, but paranoia, betrayal and guilt rattle the operation.


Herman Boden, Jack Dodds, Mamie Van Doren, Marc Wilder,
“Guns, Girls and Gangsters.”

“Guns Girls and Gangsters” (1959)


Recently released con Chuck Wheeler (Gerald Mohr) hatches a bold plan to knock over an armored car loaded with casino cash during the New Year’s Day money run. Chuck reconnects with his old flame, Vi Victor (Mamie Van Doren), who’s now involved with gangster Joe Darren (Lee Van Cleef). The robbery goes down, but all three players have their own private schemes in mind.

Cameron Prud'Homme, John McIntire, “Naked City, ” Episode, “Nickel Ride.”

Bonus: vintage TV


“Naked City”
Episode: “Nickel Ride” (1958) 

Detectives visit the aging captain of the Staten Island Ferry at the same time that armed robbers are executing a daring heist of an armored car traveling on the ferry.