Slaughter on Tenth Avenue

Eclipsed by the accomplishment and reputation of On The Waterfront three years earlier, Slaughter on Tenth Avenue mines a similar vein: corruption in the longshoremen's unions and the violent struggle for their control. And while the earlier movie remains the heavyweight champ , its younger brother can be considered a worthy contender, too. (Its title, by the way, comes from an unrelated George Balanchine ballet of two decades earlier, with music by Richard Rogers retained as the film score.)

While On The Waterfront centered on the lives on the dockworkers embroiled in struggles beyond their control, Slaughter on Tenth Avenue focuses on the Suits who try to prosecute the shooting and later death of one of those workers. Richard Egan plays the young turk in the District Attorney's office who must penetrate the operative code of silence and win the trust of the men working the piers and their families – they're scared, and have no reason to put themselves on the line for what they see as a callous bureaucracy with few teeth.

Egan finally wins over the victim's wife (Jan Sterling) and a few of his cronies, but along the way discovers that wheels turn within wheels. A former prosecutor, now some sort of lobbyist, drags him to meet the slick operator who calls the shots on the waterfront (Walter Matthau, before he became the shambliest of straight men), who tries to buy him off. (Fortunately, the movie entertains no theories about the source – Communists? Organized crime? – of the corruption.) But Egan soldiers on, finally persuading his superiors to bring an indictment despite unreliable witnesses and holes in his case.

And this is the movie's most interesting aspect: How the connections and history linking the police, the district attorney and the legal system (Dan Duryea, with a moustache, is another former prosecutor who lives high as a defense lawyer) compromise whatever justice may ultimately be meted out.

While influenced heavily by the noir cycle that was coming to an end, Slaughter on Tenth Avenue shades more heavily toward social commentary; its upbeat ending, too, is anathema to the pessimism of hard-core noir. Still, its good to see Charles McGraw as a police detective, even if he is sporting a silvery mane of hair.

Richard Rodgers famous ballet number from On Your Toes serves as the title and the background music for Slaughter On Tenth Avenue, a tale of the New York waterfronts. The twin paradigm about the waterfront is observed in this film as in On The Waterfront, that it is systemically corrupt and the men there settle their own problems.

That's what young prosecutor Richard Egan and homicide cop Charles McGraw face when they try to build a case against three of union boss Walter Matthau's hired thugs. They shot honest pier boss Mickey Shaughnessy in the hallway of his Tenth Avenue apartment building and Shaughnessy's friend Harry Bellaver saw them leave. And while dying, Shaughnessy names his killers to his wife Jan Sterling.

The dockworkers have a Code of Silence, toughest there is and it isn't easy for Egan and McGraw. In fact DA Sam Levene is not sure there's enough to go on. Especially since neophyte prosecutor Egan will be facing top mob lawyer Dan Duryea. And Egan is also planning to get married to Julie Adams.

Slaughter On Tenth Avneue is a competently made and well paced noir film. The comparisons between this and On The Waterfront are too obvious to be ignored. Egan is no Marlon Brando, but I think he would have been the first to admit that. To the dockworkers he comes across as a white shoe lawyer, but Egan worked his way up from the Pennsylvania coal mines where his people were all unionized mine workers.

One thing that distinguishes this from other noir films is that our protagonist Egan is in fact an unambiguous hero unusual for a noir film. There's no real blending of the good and bad, the cast which is well made and gives good performances across the board falls one way or the other as well.

The scene shifts from the court to the docks in the last 20 minutes or so and the climax is really taken right out of On The Waterfront. Slaughter On Tenth Avenue is still a fine bit film making that does credit to the cast and those behind the camera.

Excellent movie about uncovering crime on the waterfront. Young DA catches a murder case, involving corrupt labor leaders. Richard Egan stars as the young DA, and does an excellent job. The movie has a steady pace, and is not full of the same old cliché's. Their is light comedy, with a lady that is afraid of aliens, the is very effective at keeping the tempo of the film changing. The ending is very exciting, and the musical score is great. All in all, a really fine movie-with good acting all around, an interesting and believable premise, and a well directed pace. If you love old movies, or just a good story, you'll love this one. I highly recommend it.

Two thugs shoot Solly Pitts, an honest man at the docks, outside his apartment under order from union boss Al Dahlke (Walter Matthau). ADA Bill Keating (Richard Egan) leads the investigation. He faces fear, corruption, and intransigence.

This crime police drama has the feel of substance. There is a visceral reality to the material. The cops are a little too buttoned up but that's the characterization back in the day. He's a statue except for the last act. Matthau is a great sleaze ball. Heck he's great at anything. This is great whenever Matthau is on the screen.

We're back on the troubled waterfront in "Slaughter on Tenth Avenue" about the corruption and the men who would rather handle it among themselves.

Richard Egan plays a young prosecutor, William Keating who works with a homicide detective, Lt. Anthony Vosnick (Charles McGraw) in an attempt to build a case against thugs hired by union boss Al Dahlke (Walter Matthau). The men shot Solly Pitts (Mickey Shaugnessy) on his apartment stairway. Pitts manages to croak out the names of his killers to his wife Madge (Jan Sterling). Pitts' friend, Harry Bellaver (Benjy Karp) saw the killers leave.

It should be easy to round up the killers, but the dockworkers aren't talking. Adding to the problem, Keating will be facing off in court with a mob lawyer (Dan Duryea).

Pretty good film, but nowhere near as powerful of On the Waterfront, and I'm sure the filmmakers didn't try for that. The last half hour or so takes place in court, and the end is similar to On the Waterfront.

Good performances.