Quadrilha de Assassinos

Coming Near the End of the Film-Noir Cycle.

This Fact-Based Story Tells of a District in Brooklyn that was "Sewed Up" By "Organized Crime".

It Came on the Heels of the Televised Senate Commission.

America was Riveted to the "Idiot Box" that for Once was Used for the Purpose of Informing the Public and Shining a Light on Evil Doers.

The Film is a Hard-Boiled, Bleak Look at the Gambling Operations and the Bad-Cops who were On the Take.

The Police Department Decides to Use "Virginal", Un-Tainted Rookies to Infiltrate.

Because the Corruption was so Deep that No One on the Force Could be Trusted.

Darren MaGavin Reins in His Usual Over-the-Top Shenanigans and Gives One of His Best Realistic Performances.

Good Cast All Around.

Highlighted by Margaret Hayes in a Gut-Wrenching Role and Bares Her Soul as a Widow whose Husband was "In Deep" to the Mob.

The Film also Boasts Bare-Knuckle Fisticuffs that are Outstanding.

Many a Norish Scenes of the Back-Alleys and Tough-Turf as the Action Unfolds.

Striking to Look At with a Good Script from the Black-Listed Bernard Gordon form a "True" Magazine Story by Ed Reid.

This Could be Categorized in 1950's Off-Spring of Film-Noir that Proliferated Crime Films and Became Labeled "Police Procedurals".

Owing more than a Debt to Pure Film-Noir, this is One of the Best of the Bunch.

Note...Bobby Helms the co-author of "Jingle Bell Rock" shows up in an "insert" and does the Movie no favors removing the angst and ambiance. But its only 2 minutes.

I always say you can't go wrong with Darrin McGavin. He stars here in a very good B movie, The Case Against Brooklyn from 1958. As an added plus, it was directed by Paul Wendkos and is based on the true story of major corruption in the Brooklyn police department.

It's a police procedural, with McGavin going undercover to flush out police on the take in a gambling racket. It was my introduction to the term "horse rooms" where bets are placed on the ponies. It's a huge business, and paying off police is the only way to keep it going.

We see examples of violence against nonpayers. One man kills himself in a truck accident in hoped his wife, Lili (Maggie Hayes) can collect double indemnity insurance.

Lili takes over her husband's parking garage, so McGavin, as Pete Harris, parks his car there and makes a play for her, hoping to get her to talk.

Well done and exciting. Brian Hutton, who became a director, has a small role.

The Case Against Brooklyn is a terrific 1958 movie based upon a real New York police scandal. It's a very well crafted crime drama, typical of the era. A classic piece for the times. And there's plenty of great acting (keeping in mind this was filmed in the 1950's where action moves were exaggerated).

Darren McGavin is excellent as the chief undercover officer who tries to discover the highest levels of the corruption. If you're a fan of current day crime/dramas, movies like "The Case Against Brooklyn" are the movies upon which good quality crime/dramas have their foundation. That said, it was made in 1958. So it doesn't have the "gloss" of later films. None the less, it's fantastic to watch.

This fifties Columbia potboiler about bookies made with routine excellence was once considered important enough for Andrew Sarris to italicise it's title in his entry in Sarris's book 'American Cinema'.

The film doesn't stint on the fisticuffs and gunplay, but what really gives the film it's soul is Margaret Hayes as a careworn widow initially drawn to crewcutted hero Darren McGavin and devastated to learn that he's actually happily married.

Among the coppers those with sharp eyes will spot Brian Hutton (later director of 'Where Eagles Dare') and Joseph Turkel (best known for his much later role as the grinning barman in 'The Shining' but who already had two Kubrick's under his belt).

Apparently based on real events in Brooklyn, what I like about THE CASE AGAINST BROOKLYN is that it feels like an action film throughout, without the moralizing that usually accompanies noir docs. Very competent direction by Paul Wendkos.

Photography by Fred Jackman is first class, sharp dialogue in a gripping script, and solid performances from Darren McGavin (whom I have never rated highly as an actor) and statuesque Margaret Hayes.

It could so easily have gone the way of noir docs that peppered the movies in the 1950 - instead, this film holds its own and has its own personality. Recommended to anyone interested in noir.