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