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I had really only been familiar with John Payne from his role in the Christmas classic "Miracle on 34th Street" and perhaps a forgettable musical or two. Naturally I was amazed at how effective he is in this dazzling, violent noir as a basically decent but brooding and extremely volatile former prize fighter reduced to driving a cab to support his beautiful, cheating wife. His acting is unflinching, unsentimental and completely authentic. He creates nearly as vivid and memorable a hard luck character as Marlon Brando did in "On The Waterfront".

The big city of this film (as presented by the marvelous and criminally under-appreciated director Phil Karlson) is a simultaneous vision of heaven and hell. Frank Faylen, Evelyn Keyes and Eddy Waller are angels, willing to do anything to protect vulnerable Payne (even mislead the police), their faith in his inherent goodness unshakeable despite his tirades and self-destructive tendencies. Brad Dexter, Peggie Castle, Jay Adler and Jack Lambert are devils; selfish, ruthless and evil to the core (although there are shadings to Castle's portrayal of the cheating wife which suggest she does feel some remorse). At one point Payne gets caught in the web of the villainous Adler, who has bigger fish to fry, and explains that he needs to be let go so he can find the man who framed him for murder. "Well, isn't that unfortunate?" Adler coldly responds before having one of his henchman conk Payne on the back of the head.

You'll have a hard time finding a better supporting cast than the one here. One of those rare movies where everyone nails their parts and comes through with a fresh, inspired take. A sly, sturdy, thrilling, consistently surprising picture.

John Payne and Evelyn Keyes head for "99 River Street" in this film noir directed by Phil Karlson, and a very good one it is. Payne plays Ernie Driscoll, a washed up fighter who now drives a cab and has to take insults from his pretty, actress wannabe wife Pauline (Peggy Castle) who coulda been a contender if she hadn't married him. It turns out that she has a crooked boyfriend, Victor Rawlins (Brad Dexter) who is planning to get $50,000 from some diamonds and run away with her. When the fence refuses to deal with Rawlins because there's a woman with him, Rawlins kills Pauline and puts her body in Ernie's cab! Ernie's got to clear himself, and a friend at the cab company (Frank Faylen) and an aspiring actress friend (Evelyn Keyes) are there to help.

There are a very neat twists in this very atmospheric, gritty noir, which doesn't hold back on the violence. John Payne obviously loved this genre, or else he wanted to work against his clean-cut leading man image of the '40s. Here he looks like a fighter who's taken a lot of punches, and he does a great job as a basically good guy who's been dealt some bad cards and is angry about it. You're really pulling for him. Evelyn Keyes is wonderful as his friend, and her seduction act in a bar is one of the best scenes in the film. Frank Faylen, of course, is always likable - this is about six years before he became Dobie Gillis' father. Brad Dexter is excellent as a ruthless gangster.

Recommended, particularly if you like the genre.

As in the the previous year's Kansas City Confidential, John Payne is a most put-upon protagonist. Directed by KC Confidential's Phil Karlson, and photographed in gorgeous black and white, alternately harsh and painterly, by Franz Planer, this one has Payne as a washed up prizefighter who must avenge his worthless wife's murder, not because he cared particularly for her but because he is (falsely) implicated in it. Payne has to take on a good number of unsavory characters, and proves himself if nothing else still a most able man with his fists. There's a nice feeling for fifties urban night life in this one, of a less than high class style. Karlson shows an almost Fritz Langian feeling for the traps people fall into, personal and criminal, and like Lang doesn't go much for self-pity. In the Karlson scheme of things guys get framed for things they didn't do every day, affluent crooks wear expensive overcoats and take cruises fairly regularly, while working stiffs get the wrong end of the stick every time. It takes a tough man to survive in this universe. Payne is not only tough he's so resolute and bad tempered as to make the real bad guys look like the respectable businessmen they claim to be. It's Payne Against the World in this one. Or Pain Against the World, as the character Payne plays seems to suffer as much from internal anguish as anything the villains of the piece cook up for him.

This might be Phil Karlson's tightest, most satisfying film.

John Payne and Evelyn Keyes play it in the best pulp tradition, with Keyes especially enjoyable in a couple of marvelous set-pieces, one in an empty theater and the other a greasy-spoon diner where she really vamps it up with Brad Dexter. Too bad Keyes dropped out of pictures in the mid-50s.

This is definitive film noir where the hero must prove he isn't guilty of a crime and has to deal with the thugs out to frame him and a woman who gets him into more trouble than he ever expected.

JOHN PAYNE excels as the scowling fighter who has a couple of really well-staged fight scenes with JACK LAMBERT and BRAD DEXTER, outside the ring and in the dark underworld of crime and passion.

The surprise of this low-budget thriller is EVELYN KEYES as an ambitious actress who gets Payne unknowingly involved in her attempt to land a Broadway role wherein she plays a nasty trick on him. Then, to make up for her rash behavior and poor judgment, she sticks by him when he needs a witness to prove he didn't murder his wife, played with relish by PEGGY CASTLE.

Under Phil Karlson's direction, it's all wildly unpredictable with enough sub-plots and twists to make it engrossing from start to finish. Payne was after meatier roles after leaving Fox in all of those pretty boy roles and musicals, establishing a new persona as a tough film noir hero, rugged and ready for the fight. He's excellent and so are the other players.

Keyes reveals raw acting talent of astonishing intensity, especially in the key scene where she plays a theatrical trick on him--and the viewer.

As usual, an actor who once played leading roles at Fox, GLENN LANGAN, is wasted in a minor role. FRANK FAYLEN gives his usual reliable performance as Payne's taxi driver friend.

Well worth watching if you're a film noir fan and don't mind a gritty tale that doesn't pull its punches.

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

99 River Street finds John Payne cast as a former heavyweight boxer now driving a cab having lost his chance at the title due to an eye injury in the same bout. His wife Peggie Castle who married him in his glamor days is running around with professional thief Brad Dexter behind Payne's back. Of course he's quite a bit put out when he discovers this.

But Castle's bought into a lot more than she could chew. Dexter killed a man on a robbery in which Castle had earlier cased the joint. As a result fence Jay Adler doesn't want to know from him or the jewels he robbed. And Castle's ready to come apart. Adler makes it clear he doesn't like dealing with women as a general rule in any case.

What to do, but murder Castle and frame Payne for it. But fortunately Payne has Evelyn Keyes along who witnesses the shock when Payne finds Castle's body dumped in his cab. She's already involved Payne in her own little scheme for Broadway stardom that didn't quite work out. But she initially comes off as an airhead, but in reality proves to be good when the going gets tough.

Phil Karlson who directed Payne in one of my favorite noir films Kansas City Confidential has Payne's character revved up to a white hot fury. This is not a man to get in the way of when he's on a mission.

Sad to say though he is a bit of fathead when it comes to picking women and they seem to run rings around him. It does kind of detract from him as a hero.

Producer Edward Small and director Karlson got a great group of supporting players like Eddy Waller, Jack Lambert, and most of all Frank Faylen as his former trainer now his cab dispatcher to support his stars besides the ones I already mention. Payne's final scene with Brad Dexter is reminiscent of his championship fight.

99 River Street while not up to Kansas City Confidential's standards is still pretty good and will keep your attention to John Payne and his mission.

Think Kansas City Confidential - and you'll known where this hot potato is a-comin' from.

Terse, twisty, and more than a bit brutal, with performances from both main and secondary characters that are never short of excellent, 99 River Street is a real treat for hard-boiled Noir fans. This 'B' was an unknown quantity to me and gave me a real pleasant-as-cold-beer-on-a-hot-Sunday surprise. The plot turns and twists like a rattlesnake on ketamine, while the host of slimy villains oozing their way through the deitrus of the Dark City - when not force-feeding puppies! - reflect an ocean of corruption and moral decay. Even Payne is a very flawed hero, wrestling with wife-beating rage, and lashing out even at those who try to care for him. Stand-outs include Brad Dexter as a sleaze-ball crook, even more cunning than the homicidal private eye he played in Asphalt Jungle; and Jack Lambert, brilliantly playing the Dum-Dum psycho as always, as in The Killers, TheEnforcer.

99 River Street - 'B' Movie Hell, Pulp Noir Heaven!

A film noir which takes place during the course of one night from 1953. A former boxer now taxi driver is having the night of all nights when he begins his evening getting into a spat w/his high strung wife only for that to be the low ebb of an incident filled shift. His wife has hooked up w/a crook, played by Brad Dexter (one of the Magnificent Seven) to fence some jewelry he's pilfered but when the sale goes south, he offs her & tries to frame the husband. The husband gets help from his old boxing buddy/dispatcher & an up and coming actress he's befriended to clear his name in a finale that ends up at the docks in Jersey City (I kid you not). Starring John Payne & Evelyn Keyes, this busy noir is full of incident & activity which successfully deflects from the contrivance of the entire set up but at under 90 minutes, I rather spend time here then somewhere else.

I've seen many film noirs and this one still had some wild, unexpected plot twists. Plot was clever but never too confusing(in spite of the wonderful twists), and employed believable film noir ambience (sexy betraying blonde, hard-up disillusioned hero, & good girl sidekick, heist, etc). Film doesn't emote too much sentiment with the characters, you sympathize alittle with the "hero" and a gangster. VERY FUN to watch. Definitely underrated, esp. compared with ANYTHING made after 1970. My only problem with it: did they really make closet doors with bolt locks in the 1950's?(our hero locks a bad guy in a closet).

99 River Street (1953) : Brief Review -

Packs a solid punch of a film noir outside the ring. 99 River Street is underrated for sure if I have to consider the less recognition it has received over the year. But there is nothing extraordinary about it if someone is trying to make it look like a great film. It's got highs and lows, but certainly it's more than watchable. There is drama, there is thrill, there is love, there is betrayal, there is crime, there is murder mystery, there is some chaos, and a smart one, I must say. So overall, it's a nice script. The only thing about it that's not highly intelligent is its climax. I personally don't really fancy those accidental conflicts or twists in the climax because they take away the liberty of writing something smart from you. The film is about a boxer turned cab driver who is trying to make things up with his gold-digging wife. However, she has found a new man for herself who can give her the jewellery and diamonds she wants. Furious to learn about her affair, the cab driver leaves and gets stuck in one of his best female companions' gags. Even more furious after the gag, he is being followed by police for two crimes that he didn't commit at all. Once a champion boxer, but can he still land his punches right on the opponent? That's all that you get to see in 99 River Street. John Payne is fantastic in his role. A Banger! Evelyn Keyes does even better. She has one of the biggest and finest monologues of all time, and what killer expressions she gave there. I just couldn't take my eyes off her in that scene. One more fine scene was the bar dancing and flirting scene. Again, killer work. Brad Dexter makes a terrific antagonist here, and the supporting cast is superb. Phil Karlson ticks all the boxes of the "film noir" term right. Drama, thrill, gripping noir-he gives you three in one.

RATING - 7/10*

By - #samthebestest.

During the dispute of the box championship, the boxer Ernie Driscoll (John Payne) loses the fight and the champion damages his optic nerve. Ernie is forced to quit his career and becomes a taxi driver in New York. His wife Pauline Driscoll (Peggie Castle) blames him for their simple life and their relationship is not good. The quick-tempered Ernie usually meets his friend, the aspirant actress Linda James (Evelyn Keyes), at the bar where he drinks coffee late night. Pauline has a love affair with the elegant thief Victor Rawlins (Brad Dexter) and she helps him to steal a fortune in diamonds from a man called Dutch. Meanwhile Linda lures Ernie to be cast in a play but when she learns that the producer has accused Ernie to the police to promote his play, she regrets and decides to help him. Meanwhile Victor kills Pauline to sell the jewels to a powerful fence and frames Ernie so that he can travel abroad. Now Ernie and Linda need to track Victor down to prove his innocence, but the fence and his gang are also chasing Victor to kill him.

"99 River Street" is a different, underrated, fast-paced and violent film-noir. The story and the screenplay are engaging and the direction and performances are top-notch. The conclusion with a happy-ending is also unusual in this genre but works very well in this film. My vote is nine.

Title (Brazil): "A Morte Ronda o Cais" (""Death Prowls the Habour")

Poor Ernie. He takes a beating in the boxing ring, and then even a bigger one from two heartless women. You can just feel his smoldering emotion about to explode like a hand grenade on that theatre stage. All those theatre types rushing around patting themselves on the back, while he stands there, the disbelieving dupe.

As the luckless boxer turned cabbie turned fall guy, Payne's great. The anguish all over his cracked face. So how's he going to get back his self-respect when he keeps getting the short end of the stick. Now he's up for a murder rap unless he can track down the slippery Rawlins (Dexter), which doesn't get any easier especially after the cagey slickster puts a bullet hole in him. Rarely have I seen a movie where the lead takes such a beating.

But what can he expect when he's got that silken tramp Peggie Castle (Pauline) for a wife. Who could trust her around any man. Too bad actress Castle died so young; she was so good in these heartless roles. Then there's Eveline Keyes as Linda who can't seem to decide which side of the fence she's on. At least as an actress Keyes could give a graduate course in how to over-act, judging from the movie's first half.

This is a typical Phil Karlson film—you can feel the characters' pain even if it is up there on the movie screen. At times, Karlson's close-ups are a stunning portrait of agony. It's noir, for sure, even if the focus is more on character than shadowy atmosphere, though there's still a lot of the latter. At times the plot gets a little confusing, but that's okay since Ernie's supposed to be up against dark forces he can barely distinguish. Anyway, it's first-rate thick- ear, showing why Karlson's considered a master of crime drama that makes us not just see but feel as well.

99 River Street is directed by Phil Karlson and adapted to screenplay by Robert Smith from a story by George Zuckerman. It stars John Payne, Evelyn Keyes, Brad Dexter, Frank Faylen, Jay Adler, Eddie Waller and Peggie Castle. Music is by Arthur Lange and Emil Newman and cinematography by Franz Planer.

After sustaining a serious eye injury, boxer Ernie Driscoll (Payne) has had to retire from the ring and now drives a cab for a living. Constantly chided by his beautiful wife, Pauline (Castle), for being a failure, Ernie is close to breaking point when he finds that she is having an affair with a charismatic jewel thief. So when Pauline turns up dead in the back of Ernie's cab, he's obviously the chief suspect. But along with actress friend Linda James (Keyes), he attempts to unravel the mystery that is threatening to destroy his life.

Tough as old boots, 99 River Street is the kind of unsung film noir crying out to be discovered by more like minded cinephiles. Though short of expressionistic verve, which was never Karlson's thing anyway, all the elements for a nitty-gritty noir are in place. New York forms the backdrop as a city of broken dreams, shattered illusions, a place frequented by unfaithful spouses, shifty fences, violent thieves and theatrical luvvies so far removed from the real post war world it would be funny were it no so sad! Smack bang in the middle of this tainted Americana is Ernie Driscoll, basically a good guy, but when pushed into a corner emotionally or physically, he strikes out in the only way he knows how, with his fists.

As Karlson blurs the lines between the theatrical world and that of the real one, deftly essayed by Ernie and Linda, the director is clearly enjoying having such colourful characters to work with. Payne's tough guy anti-hero, Keyes' savvy heroine, Adler's unerringly menacing fence, Dexter's oily villain and Castle's disgustingly selfish wife. Throw in some thugs, persistent coppers and humane counterpoints portrayed by Faylen and Waller, and it's a nicely simmering broth of bad news, sexual suggestion and off-kilter redemption's. Violence is rife, and it's not the sort of staged violence that reeks of fake scents, this stuff hits hard, something which Karlson was always very adept at.

The director also introduces some striking filming techniques to pump the picture with an edgy frankness. The opening sequence featuring Ernie's last fight is wonderfully staged, low angles and close ups put the sweat and pain front and centre, it's a smart set-up for when the story comes full circle at film's punchy finale. Another sequence features a panic stricken Linda begging Ernie for his help with something, the camera sticks rigidly to her, this also is a delightful set-up that has a sting in the tail. There's mirror images dropped in, scene echoes that mean something of note, one of which sees Karlson film a shot dead centre through the spread legs of Castle. So cheeky, and what a pair of legs as well!

An unsung noir full of unsung actors (Payne is excellent) and directed with cunning absorption, 99 River Street is a must see. 8/10

(1953) 99 River Street THRILLER CRIME DRAMA

Co-written and directed by Phil Karlson directing a solid low budget thriller that is like reliving a very bad dream, which centers on ex-boxer turned blue collar cab driver, Ernie Driscoll (John Payne) getting himself mixed up with some bad cronies, unaware that his wife, Pauline Driscoll (Peggie Castle) may have something to do with it. Although, the movie is outdated, the way his fellow cabby workers believe the main protagonist and of course, help him resolve his complicated situation feels very authentic, since in real life an innocent person, cannot clear himself without the help of others.