Between Midnight and Dawn (1950)
(Alert of spoilers)
Edmond O'Brien is on the beat as a "prowl car cop" with his partner. It starts out good then delves into personal relationships and avoids any more gritty noir. There's a decent car chase scene, some bad script continuity like the cops finding the car that shot up one of the main cop protagonists with ease, and no stand out villains (think Lee Van Cleef in Kansas City Confidential (1952), Neville Brand in D. O. A. (1950) or The Mob (1951), William Conrad in The Killers (1946) or Richard Widmark in Kiss of Death (1947).) The ending is ridiculous as well, since one lousy main bad guy (Donald Buka) takes a young girl hostage and one hundred cops show up with searchlights.
Edmond O'Brien is his usual big-mouthed self, annoying us plenty; he's much better as a villain.
Still, worth a look for the old city view (Pacific Electric Building, Los Angeles, California (opened 1905)) and lovely Black and White Film stock.
City That Never Sleeps (1953), a Republic Pictures noir with Gig Young as a cop on the beat, is a lot better.
(Alert of spoilers)
Edmond O'Brien is on the beat as a "prowl car cop" with his partner. It starts out good then delves into personal relationships and avoids any more gritty noir. There's a decent car chase scene, some bad script continuity like the cops finding the car that shot up one of the main cop protagonists with ease, and no stand out villains (think Lee Van Cleef in Kansas City Confidential (1952), Neville Brand in D. O. A. (1950) or The Mob (1951), William Conrad in The Killers (1946) or Richard Widmark in Kiss of Death (1947).) The ending is ridiculous as well, since one lousy main bad guy (Donald Buka) takes a young girl hostage and one hundred cops show up with searchlights.
Edmond O'Brien is his usual big-mouthed self, annoying us plenty; he's much better as a villain.
Still, worth a look for the old city view (Pacific Electric Building, Los Angeles, California (opened 1905)) and lovely Black and White Film stock.
City That Never Sleeps (1953), a Republic Pictures noir with Gig Young as a cop on the beat, is a lot better.