La strada senza nome

J. Edgar Hoover, it now seems, was a mediocre crimefighter but a master orchestrator of his own publicity (and only secondarily that of the FBI). The Street With No Name stands as one of the better films dedicated to kissing his assiduously cultivated legend. Most directors assigned these tasks in the noir cycle wrote off such idolatry as a cost of doing business, clearing it away quickly so as to get on with their moviemaking; William Keighley follows this sensible agenda.

FBI agent Mark Stevens goes undercover to infiltrate the mob in that cesspool of crime, Center City, USA. In the boxing ring, he attracts the attention, slightly open to inference, of boss Richard Widmark, a dapper ("I like my boys to look sharp") cutthroat with a morbid fear of drafts and sneezes. With the aid of confederate John McIntyre, Stevens reports the gang's plans back to the FBI. Alas, a high-placed informant in the police department reports the FBI's plans back to Widmark.

So the movie boils down to the agent-in-peril story. Keighley tells it cleanly and briskly, eschewing the complexities (both visual and moral) of Anthony Mann's T-Men, released just a few months earlier. It's strongest in the feel for Center City's raffish tenderloin, with its fleabag hotels, pool halls and walk-up gyms. Stevens, McIntyre and Lloyd Nolan (as Stevens' superior) give workmanlike jobs with the rather staid roles scriptwriter Harry Kleiner supplies. His few-frills approach reins in Widmark, too, who's always better when he's unfettered and shooting over the top.

The Street With No Name suffers a bit from staying so resolutely all-guy; thus Barbara Lawrence suffers, too, in an underwritten and inconsequential part as Widmark's abused moll. A little more cool yin might have balanced out all that hot, hard yang.

NOTE: In 1955, Samuel Fuller remade -- and rethought -- this movie, using the same screenwriter and cinematographer (Joe MacDonald, now working in color) as House of Bamboo, set in postwar Tokyo.

Fox was so encouraged by the success of films like THE HOUSE ON 92ND STREET, BOOMERANG and KISS OF DEATH, that it seemed only natural they would pursue this genre for many years during the '40s. The outcome of this pursuit is a film like THE STREET WITH NO NAME.

New hot property RICHARD WIDMARK is given another chance to shine as a sneering villain who runs a gang the police are anxious to put out of business. They send a mole (MARK STEVENS) to infiltrate the mob and get the goods on Widmark--not unlike the situation in Cagney's WHITE HEAT.

While this one doesn't approach the finesse of Raoul Walsh's WHITE HEAT, it's a solidly entertaining piece of crime melodrama given punch by some good overall performances. Aside from Widmark and Stevens, the cast includes reliable Fox contract players BARBARA LAWRENCE, ED BEGLEY, DONALD BUKA, and JOHN McINTIRE.

Based on an actual FBI case, there's some narration in the manner of other Fox films in this genre. Upcoming MARK STEVENS has the most interesting role and does well with it. Stevens is a young actor who never got his full due at Fox, although he appeared in a number of strong films.

Summing up: Well worth seeing if you're a fan of film noir.

Richard Widmark stars with Mark Stevens, John McIntyre and Ed Begley in "The Street with No Name" from 1948. Having made such a splash as Tommy Udo, Fox wanted to continue cashing in on Widmark as a bad guy. And let's face it, he played them well.

I expected this to be one of those dry docudramas that rose up in the late '40s and '50s. It did start that way, but then turned into an exciting and interesting story. The FBI becomes involved with bringing a gang of murdering thieves, led by Alec Stiles (Widmark), to justice. To do this, they send in a plant, Gene Cordell (Stevens).

Stiles sees someone he thinks might fit in with his gang and asks a mole in the police organization to check him out. In this way, he's able to get the FBI records. "Gene Cordell" becomes "George Manly" and is drafted into the Stiles group.

When a plan for a robbery is thwarted due to a tipoff, Stiles begins to think someone in his group is a snitch.

Good drama that holds attention.

Gene (Mark Stevens) infiltrates a gang led by Alec (Richard Widmark) with the intention of discovering who is responsible for a series of recent shootings and robberies. Gene makes his reports to Inspector Briggs (Lloyd Nolan) and has an undercover contact to help him, Cy (John McIntire). However, Alec suspects that one of his gang is betraying him and he then gets a phone call which confirms things to him....

This is a boys film about gangsters. The only woman with any kind of role - Judy (Barbara Lawrence) appears briefly and gets slapped about - I'm not sure her role has any relevance. The story is good and both the main characters, Mark Stevens and Richard Widmark, play their roles convincingly. A slight irritation is the narrator at the beginning - I wished he would just shut up and let the film take its course. Similarly, there are a few overlong sequences of police checking but overall it's a good film. However, it would have all ended differently were it not for an unsung hero, a cab driver (Charles Tannen).

Inspector Briggs : Lloyd Nolan enlists in the state organization to rookie FBI agent Gene Cordell : Mark Stevens, as he is assigned to a dangerous mission : to infiltrate himself into a nasty band led by an evil mobster named Styles : Richard Widmark . Things go awry when a corrupt mole at the police station is delivering information to the gangsters. The FBI Goes Undercover To Nab A Cold-Hearted Killer in This All-Star Crime Thriller With A Unique Storytelling Twist!. Counter Attack! A New Era Of Violence In The Making... A New Kind Of Gangster On The Loose! Here's The Real-Life Drama Of The FBI Counter-Attack Where Law And Order Break Down!

Classy Noir with thrills, supenseful , tension, plot twists and shady characters . Including a semi-documentary style at times , in fact the film's opening prologue states: ''The motion picture you are about to see was adapted from the files of the Federal Bureau of Investigation. Wherever possible, it was photographed in the original locale and played by the actual F. B. I. Personnel involved¨. Stars Mark Stevens providing a good acting as the new FBI agent, along with Loyd Nolan as a tough chief who leads the investigations against the ominous criminal organization. But the best acting goes to the great Richard Widmark, giving an extraordinary show as a ruthless gangster with sadistic tendency by killing , hitting enemies and mistreating his girlfriend, the beautiful Barbara Lawrence. The Street with No Name(1948) is one of three consecutive Richard Widmark Noir films where he performed an evil gangster along with Kiss Of Death and Road House. They're well acccompanied by a remaining and effective support cast , such as : John McIntire, Ed Begley, Howard Smith, Donald Buka, Lane Chandler , Howard Smith , and Joseph Pevney , subsequently a notorious filmmaker .

It contains an atmospheric cinematography in black and white with plenty of lights and shades by Joseph MacDonald , who along with Nicolas Musuruca , John Alton and John Seitz are the best cameramen that worked in the Noir Film genre . The picture was competently directed by William Keighley. This filmmaker was expert on Noir as proved in Each dawn I die, Ladies they talk about, G Men, Bullets and ballots and The Street with no name . Rating : 7/10 . Better than average.