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Two great film noir actors - Sterling Hayden and Gloria Grahame - star in this movie. Hayden is excellent as a tough cop bound-and-determined to get a killer than has been turned free (Gene Barry).

Barry is very good as the criminal who falsely claims "police brutality." In that respect, this movie was ahead of its day as that term became widely used two decades later.

Overall, this a good film noir that's a bit different from the normal fare, but certainly not different when it comes to great noir photography and good suspense.

Where is the DVD of this film? (In fact, where was the VHS, in the first place?)

A grimly determined homicide detective tries to nab a suspected cop-killer, even after getting kicked off the force. Although there are some implausible plot elements, this is a pretty good noir. It's anchored by stellar performances from Sterling Hayden (in a part quite similar to his role in CRIME WAVE, from the same year) and the great Gloria Grahame (whose character is rather suspiciously close to her part in THE BIG HEAT, from the previous year). Gene Barry is very good too, although I can't say much about him without spoiling things. The film takes an unpredictable second act twist, at least it was far different from what I was expecting, which was more of a LOOPHOLE scenario. Grahame's entrance is strange -- she looks a bit awkward doing the nightclub singer shtick, but perhaps it suits her character to be uncomfortable in that position. The story is paced very well and has some brutal scenes, fine cinematography and generally good dialogue. Maybe not one of the greats, but definitely worth checking out, especially for Grahame fans.

This is worth watching because Gloria Grahame is in it. But otherwise it is a rather disappointing noir. Gene Barry certainly manages to be very menacing and volatile as the bad guy. Sterling Hayden is rather wooden as the tough cop. But Gloria Grahame, though she is not particularly good at shimmying when she sings, keeps our attention with her pouty lip, her doubtful look, her slumbering voice, her worldly-wise fragility, and all those other qualities too numerous to mention which are irresistible about her. So consider this 'a minor Gloria Grahame picture' and it is at least able to entertain, if not to enthrall.

The title "Naked Alibi" is a very strange one, as back in the day you'd never see naked people in mainstream Hollywood films and there is nothing naked whatsoever in the movie. Don't let that stop you from watching it, as it's an excellent and gritty film noir story.

When the film begins, police captain Joe Conroy (Sterling Hayden) is investigating a case where a lieutenant was brutally murdered. He thinks Al Willis (Gene Barry) is responsible--after all, he's a HUGE hot-head and he had a grudge against this dead cop. Soon, two more cops are brutally murdered and Willis appears to be the likely suspect. But, when Conroy is fired for police brutality, he's determined to follow Willis into Mexico and prove he's a psycho killer. However, he's no longer a cop and has no jurisdiction...and Willis has a gang waiting for him. All Conroy has is a dame (Gloria Graham) and her kid!

The film works well because Sterling Hayden (as usual) is excellent in these sorts of tough-guy roles. Additionally, Barry is very good as a scum-bag and the script keeps you on edge. Not a great film but certainly a good one worth your time.

I'm not sure how Universal slipped this one past the Bureau of Consumer Protection, but they did. Despite the title's bold claim, this 1954 crime drama features absolutely no nudity or alibis - clothed or unclothed. On the plus side, it does co-star the deliciously sexy Gloria Grahame, but on the minus side it's a very poorly written part which does nothing to showcase her particular talents. She plays Marianna, a saloon singer in a sleazy town on the US side of the Mexican border, who manages to get herself involved with both an ex-cop (Sterling Hayden) and the suspected cop-killer (Gene Barry) he is obsessively pursuing. Even by the often convoluted standards of film noir (which this movie aspires to be) plotting, the story makes little sense, but there's little else to distract the attention. Hayden sleepwalks through his part with the air of an actor focusing on his paycheck rather than the script's obvious flaws, while Barry struggles unsuccessfully to create some sort of plausible whole out of the many inconsistencies in his character. In one scene he's a baker and family man wrongly accused by bullying detectives of murdering an officer, and in the next he's a big shot gangster (without a gang or criminal purpose) on the Mexican border, splashing the cash, roughing up the locals, and inflicting his particularly aggressive brand of lovin' on Miss Grahame. Quite how or why he leads this double life doesn't trouble director Jerry Hopper. In fact, very little seems to bother Mr Hopper. Not the implausible plot, the waste of talent (Grahame and Hayden) or the film's slapped-together-on-a-shoestring feel. NAKED ALIBI was shot in large part on the Universal back-lot and it looks it. The town square will be instantly recognizable from countless other movies made by the studio, while the border town's back alleys and loading docks are littered with those empty wooden crates one only ever sees in such large numbers in low budget movies where they're trying to fill in the space without spending money on props. Production values are so low that NAKED ALIBI plays more like a lackluster 1950s TV drama than a big screen entertainment. If Hopper thought he was contributing to the often stylish and memorable canon of low-budget film noir thrillers which many studios turned out in the early 1950s he was wrong. The confused plot, unimaginative camera-work and cast going through the motions put paid to that. For the Gloria Grahame completists among us this is a must-see, for everyone else there's plenty of other, much more rewarding things, you could be doing with your time. Check out more of my reviews at http://thefilmivejustseen.blogspot.com/

This is top-notch noir. The queen of the femme fatales, Gloria Grahame is perfectly cast in this sleazefest. Even the miscast Gene Barry (Bat Masterson, War of the Worlds) as a really bad guy is very good in the film as well. It was amusing to see Chuck Conners (The Rifleman, The Big Country) as a cop; a role he was well-suited for. He was a much better actor than baseball player.

The story is pretty good with one exception; why would you hold on to a gun that killed a cop if you were wealthy? The escalation of violence and the gruff Sterling Hayden (perfectly cast) harassing the suspect from the beginning of the film without let-up is perfectly logical, although not legally sound. The film is in the top echelon of this genre; don't miss it.

Naked Alibi is directed by Jerry Hopper and adapted to screenplay by Lawrence Roman from the story "Cry Copper" by Gladys Atwater and J. Robert Bren. It stars Sterling Hayden, Gloria Grahame, Gene Barry and Marcia Henderson. Music is by Joseph Gershenson and cinematography by Russell Metty.

Urgh! It's one of those lesser grade film noir movies from the classic cycle that should have been super, but isn't. It's also a Sterling Hayden film that gives his knockers ammunition to call him wooden, yet the tedious direction of Hooper and all round over staging of the production is what's at fault here.

Plot has Barry (over acting) as a suspected cop killer who walks free to apparently wreak more misery on the police force. Hayden's stoic and robust detective is not having a bit of it and becomes obsessed with bringing Barry's edgy character to justice. Grahame slinks into view in shapely fashion after half hour of film, to naturally stir the hornet's nest still further.

The potential is there for a hot-to-trot noir of psychological substance, a peek under the skin of men teetering on the thin line separating good and bad. Sadly it's all so laborious and fake, the male actors indulging in what I call auto-cue acting as they act out badly staged scenes. Grahame comes out of it relatively unscathed, while Metty gives the production an atmosphere it doesn't deserve with some slats and shads dalliances. But really it's average at best and the cast are wasted. 5/10

You Get Sterling Hayden, Gloria Graham and Film-Noir is in the Making.

Add an Almost Complete Night-Time Shoot, a Psycho Nut-Job (Gene Barry chewing away and virtually melting the screen) Tailored Made for Noir.

Hayden is a Borderline Brutal Cop who is Fired for said Activity but Never Abandons His Tail of the Psycho-Man that He Intuits from the Start.

Barry's Character is Loony-Tunes.

He Goes from Mild-Mannered Baker with a Wife and Kid, Transforming into Woman Beating Kill-for-Thrill Murderer in a Micro-Minute.

Gloria Graham Adds Her Noir Cred as a Seedy South of the Border Dame Working a Dive.

Seemingly She Waits Around for Con-Man Barry to Return and Slap Her Around and Deceive.

She is Great as Always Playing the Sultry Thick-Skinned Damsel.

The Film is Dark, Brutal, Seedy, and a Must-See for Film-Noir Fans.

The 1950's Trended Toward Police Procedural Watering-Down the Pure Noirs,

but In this Case it doesn't Overwhelm the Elements that Make Noir Fascinating.

It's a Dark Film in a Dark City when They get to Mexico where Almost All Light is Artificial and there is Danger Around Every Corner.

Gene Barry is Miscast but Manages to Overcome with an Over-the-Top Rampage of Killing or Beating Anyone who Crosses His Path.

Little Petey, an Adolescent Mexican National who Lives on the Streets makes an Impression and is a Central Thread to the Plot.

It's a Treat to See Chuck Connors Presence Early On in a Small Role,

Matching Hayden in Stature, when Few Could, both Men Standing 6'+.

Low-Budget but High Entertainment.

A Great Example Showing Film-Noir Alive and Relevant at the Late Date of 1954.

Sterling Hayden was the image of male masculinity in such films as "The Asphalt Jungle," "The Killing," and "The Godfather." Tall at 6 foot 5 inches, well built, ruggedly handsome in the true sense, Hayden rarely cracked a smile or betrayed a tender emotion. He had screen presence, and that strong image serves him well in 1954's "Naked Alibi." Hayden is Chief of Detectives Joe Conroy, who has been accused of police brutality, an easily believable offense. When Al Willis, a local baker, is pulled in and roughed up by his subordinates, Hayden looks on impassively. Played by Gene Barry, Willis has a devoted wife and a child; his arrest is evidently wrongful, and he is released. When the policeman who roughed up Willis is shot later that night, Hayden immediately hones in on Willis as guilty.

With a screenplay by Laurence Roman from a story by J. Robert Bren and Gladys Atwater, "Naked Alibi" plays with the audience. When the police come to arrest Willis after the fatal shooting, he runs, but is caught and brought in again. However, without evidence and under pressure from above, Hayden is forced to release Willis one more time. When two more officers are killed in a bomb blast, Hayden tails and harasses the sympathetic Willis, who seems intent on managing his bakery, tending his family, and remaining a model citizen. However, when Hayden is caught in a photo assaulting Willis, he is fired from the force. Undaunted and convinced by gut instinct of Willis's guilt, Hayden follows Willis, when he unexpectedly leaves town and goes to sleazy Border Town, where, in El Perico, a local dive, pouty singer Gloria Grahame appears on the scene as Marianna, and, to coin a phrase, the plot thickens and starts to boil.

The action unfolds against the deep shadows and dramatic lighting of Russell Metty's cinematography, which provides some stunning black and white images. Surprisingly produced by Ross Hunter, the man usually behind lush Lana Turner weepies, "Naked Alibi" is well paced by director Jerry Hopper, who went on to become a prolific director on television. However, the film belongs to Sterling Hayden. Tough and brutal, Hayden is central to the film's success, although Gloria Grahame is also excellent, and Gene Barry is appropriately ambiguous in the pivotal role of Willis. As a bonus, fans of "The Rifleman" will be pleased to spot Chuck Connors in a small role as a police captain. While not at the heights of the best Sterling Hayden classics, "Naked Alibi" is nonetheless a crackling police pursuit drama that engages and entertains.

The Naked Alibi wastes some potentially terrific talents by forcing them into last-ditch, half-hearted retreads of characters and situations that had already, by 1954 and halfway down the leeward slope of the noir cycle, been done to death – often, in fact, done by these very same actors.

That Nordic giant Sterling Hayden, never easy to cast, gives a reprise of a role – the angry cop – that suited him so well he encored it several times, taking his final bow in 1972 in The Godfather. (And, as nasty cops go, maybe only Robert Ryan played it nastier.) Gloria Grahame's kittenish victim had become by this time a staple of the cycle, but it's almost always good to watch her anyway. But so hot on the heels of Fritz Lang's The Big Heat, her role in The Naked Alibi looks very much like the larcenous knock-off that it is, right down to the final, poignant fadeout (and it doesn't help when she makes her entrance – as a nightclub canary – using a dubbed voice).

The plot, which loses more credibility every time it takes a new turn, concerns the murder of police officers a smallish California city. Hayden's prime suspect is Gene Barry, but this church-going baker with a submissive wifey fools everybody else. Dogging him relentlessly, Hayden gets thrown off the force and, free-lancing, follows Barry to a wide-open town on the Mexican border where the suspect leads a double life, involving Grahame. Inevitably, Hayden gets involved with her too. Barry finally flashes his true colors and he joins Hayden in pursuing their mutual vendetta. But the working out is perfunctory and predictable, and it goes to show that even marquee stars can't salvage a tired, derivative piece of filmmaking.

If you were ever curious to see what a tough black & white thriller about a rogue cop produced by Ross Hunter would look like, look no further.

At first resembling a gritty noir about police brutality like 'Where the Sidewalk Ends', with Sterling Hayden in full pycho-cop mode. But if the plot is really going the way it seems, the next hour is going to be awfully predictable. So... but don't let me spoil it for you.

The three main characters all shape up reasonably satisfactorily, while much of the fun is in trying to anticipate what improbable new developments the writers are going to dream up as they work towards a suitably dramatic climax.

An effective, gritty noir entry, containing all the hallmarks of the genre; dim shadowy basements, murky night scenes. Hard-boiled, vilified cop Sterling Hayden treads a solitary path in pursuit of the murderer of three of his fellow officers.

Glorious Gloria Grahame is splendid as the spirited gangster's moll slapped around by bully-boy Barry, who like many of life's more dubious products contrives to fall off the back of a lorry.

Fired for brutality, an ex-chief detective is convinced of the identity of a man who killed three cops but has no evidence. He tracks the man to a small town in Mexico where, assisted by the suspect's girlfriend, attempts to see that justice is done.

Standard crime film with a few holes in the story but holds the attention of the viewer. Sterling Hayden is persistent as the detective hunting the killer, played convincingly by Gene Barry, and Gloria Grahame adds the "it" factor a year after her Oscar win.

Finally caught up with this on AMC. I wish Sterling Hayden had focused more on his Hollywood career, instead of returning to the sea from time-to-time. He's easily in the league of the Noir "Roberts" (Taylor, Ryan, Mitchum)...with a little John

Wayne to boot. Good picture....not *really* Film Noire....and not Gloria Grahame's best.

doc

Naked Alibi is a B grade crime movie that's in part a neat little thriller but also a shoddy lower grade flick. Outside of Sterling Hayden and Gloria Grahame its largely unremarkable. Hayden plays a police who goes rogue to track down a criminal hes been unable to pin down for a couple of murders. The jealous, crazed criminal being played by Gene Barry who does it effectively however it's a role about as cliched as the drunk doctor. The movie has that convenient little runtime that means everything happens pretty quickly regardless of how good or bad it is. Demonstrating the rule that you can get away with almost anything if you're brief enough.

All hail TCM ! For keeping the genre alive .

Naked Alibi is a violent for 1954, thrilling film noir about tough guys and rough justice in a world that does not tolerate wimps.

I'd never seen this noir & being a genre fan .....it was a must watch Why you may ask ? Two word Oscar-winning actress Gloria Grahame.

Grahame was a regular auteur baby. Though never a major star (only a major minor one), with her off centeredness, her combination of reflective cool unique beauty and startling immediacy . She was one of the best.

Grahame has the ability to convey intense longing, long-suffering, and an alluring playfulness all at the same time. Few actresses can pull that off!

Gloria stated that she should have been paid DOUBLE for her role in Naked Alibi has she was slapped around by bully-boy Gene Barry knocked around so much Grahame received 57 bruises .

Gloria Grahame electrified moviegoers with her turns as femmes fatale in such films as "Crossfire" (1947), "In a Lonely Place" (1950) and "The Bad and the Beautiful" (1952), which earned her a Best Supporting Actress Oscar.

He underrated Naked Alibi (1954), produced by Universal, actually did bear a strong and successful similarity to The Big Heat. It's set in a border town with Grahame as a gangster's moll who helps a decent cop played by Sterling Hayden. Grahame loved making this film so much that afterwards she sent a note to producer Ross Hunter saying it was one of her happiest experiences.

You have Sterling Hayden-----Gloria Graham !! Film-Noir is in the Making.

Murder suspect Al Willis (Gene Barry, The War of the Worlds), released for lack of evidence, vows vengeance on the cops who brutalized him. When one of those cops turns up dead, his partner Chief Joe Conroy (Sterling Hayden, The Asphalt Jungle) hunts down Al who has skipped town for a border city. Both men end up in thrall to bad girl Marianna (Gloria Grahame, In a Lonely Place), whose unique sexiness is on full display in this film noir potboiler. Written by Lawrence Roman (A Kiss Before Dying) and directed by Jerry Hopper (Secret of the Incas). The strong supporting cast includes Marcia Henderson (Thunder Bay), Max Showalter (Niagara), Billy Chapin (The Night of the Hunter) and Chuck Connors (The Big Country). 7.5/10.

Frankly I found Eddie Muller's intro and trashing of director Jerry Hopper more entertaining than this film. Did not hold my interest.

One problem is I've never been crazy about Sterling Hayden. A fascinating human being but doesn't do anything for me as an actor.

In this film, he's a tough cop who accuses bakery owner Gene Barry of being a cop killer, harassing him mercilessly until Barry leaves his wife and baby for a much needed break.

Hayden, of course, follows him. We then find out that Mr. Home and Hearth is a sleazeball with a girlfriend (Gloria Grahame). When Hayden is rolled by thugs, Gloria takes him in. He recovers, but he believes Barry is a cop killer and isn't leaving without him.

This could have been terrific, but I have to agree with Eddie, it's badly directed and after awhile you just don't care.

Has this ever happened to you? I go into my local video store and see a few new arrivals in the "film noir" section. I spy a copy of a new arrival of a film I have never seen called NAKED ALIBI. Its from one of those mail order video companies that offers (mostly) "dupey" looking copies of hard to find titles. The description on the box sounds good. The film has players I like (Sterling Hayden, Gloria Grahame, and Gene Barry). So I take it home and watch it. About ten minutes into this film I started having second thoughts. About half way through this film I started to dislike it. By the time the film ended, I not only disliked it, I despised it. The film opens with cops questioning Al Willis on suspicion of robbery. Other than being drunk, the police have nothing on him. When he pushes a cop and demands to be allowed to go home, the cops beat him up. Detective Conroy arrives, lets the cops finish the beating and then announces Willis is in the clear. Willis swears he will get revenge. Later one of the police officers is shot dead. With no evidence other that Willis is "sore" about the beating, Conroy make Willis his sole suspect, despite the fact that his boss names a pair of mobsters as suspects. Conroy arrests him, but for lack evidence Willis is released. The next day two more cops are killed by a bomb. This time Conroy goes to the Bakery that Willis owns and tries to beat a confession out of him. Conroy doesn't know it but a local newsman whose paper has been accusing Conroys department of police brutality snaps a picture of Conroy trying strangle Willis and Conroy is fired. But Conroy continues his pursuit and Willis flees to Mexico where Willis has a mistress. Conroy manages to convince his mistress (who Willis treats rather rough) to help him prove Willis is a killer. What this film lacks is a convincing script. The script looks as if only a rough draft was written and shooting began before a finished script was completed. Things happen, characters personalities change, plot twists occur for no real reason other than that script calls for it. Other than the fact that Willis likes to tip a glass now and than, there is nothing in the early part of the film to make us think that he is a crazy killer that cheats on his wife. He treats his wife, his kid and employees well. Early in the film, one gets the impression that its Conroy is the one whose is a loose cannon. He seems to casually approve of police brutality. Conroy, for no reason is convinced from the very start Willis has criminal past. He seems to operate on the motto of the old Communist Bulgarian secret police; "Everyone is guilty of something, we just have not found out about it yet." Later Conroy shows kindness to Al's mistress and young son, now we are supposed to like him. Sorry! The early impression I got of Conroy stuck with me too long. And he is also a dumb cop. Only after he is fired and goes to Mexico does he run a background check on Willis and discovers that a warrant is out for him issued in Maryland. Why didn't he think of this before? Because this film hadn't used up enough running time. The cast is good. Gene Barry does well considering how poorly conceived his role of Al Willis is. I'm big fan of 40's and 50's crime thrillers but not only did I not think this film was good, it left a bad taste in my mouth (something many modern films do, but older films rarely do).