Meurtres sur la 10e avenue

This was a well written and very well acted movie. The story kept me interested and it was realistic. Richard Egan was at the top of his acting game. Dan Dureyea was excellent as the lawyer opposing Egan. Jan Sterling as the suffering wife gave an award winning performance. And as always Walter Matthau the most wonderful character actor was great as the thug union boss. The music score was good. This was a solid movie that I am surprised didn't get nominated for awards. I know when a movie is really good when it can hold my attention, I can't see any holes in the story and I don't want it to end.

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.

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.

Surely no other film noir has had such an illustrious composer responsible for its theme music. I studied "Slaughter On Tenth Avenue," the musical suite, in elementary school! The movie itself is quite good. It is a gritty story about life on the waterfront. The director isn't famous but I notice he also directed one of my favorites, which I haven't seen in many a long year: "Down Three Dark Streets"! And what a cast! Most people watching today will single out Walter Matthau, who is fine in a relatively small role. But Richard Egan is excellent as an ambitious young cop. Jan Sterling, always good in tough roles, is excellent as the wife of the man who falls victim to the title event. Julie Adams is appealing as Egan's wife. And Dan Duryea gives a bravura performance as a smart but not very admirable lawyer.

The rest of the cast includes such noir staples as Charles McGraw, Sam Levene, and Mickey Shaughnessy.

Initially, I have to admit that I found the music a little distracting. But I got used to it. And the movie hits pretty hard.

Based on fact, and hewing closely to a book co-authored by the central character Keating, this movie is based on more or less the real people portrayed in On the Waterfront -- there's even a priest-- only without Brando and without the romance. Egan as Keating is a bit of a stiff. I think the real Keating was more of a rebel. Great title music, an old Rodgers & Hart tune first used in "On Your Toes" for a comic dance number. Still, not much Slaughter and not much Tenth Avenue either. (The real life incident at the beginning took place on Grove Street in Greenwich Village, but "Slaughter on Grove Street" wouldn't sound right, I guess.)