Police vendue à Brooklyn

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.

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.

Opine that a film is noir, and the arguments will sprout up like mushrooms in a dark cellar. This gritty little feature, however, should cause contention only among those who designate noir in terms of directors, inclusive years, or other mercenary measures. The plot concerns police corruption, and the protagonist is an unsullied, but savvy rookie cop who is ready and willing to cast sentiment aside and get the goods by hook or crook. The Production Code is cracking, and characters talk of a woman putting out and a good guy's willingness to cheat on his wife. There's no soft soap or sappiness--only an oblique noir world that twists and turns and delivers flashes of light amidst the gloom.

Stumbled on this one today. Plot is very good, very realistic. Always fascinating to see what were once considered glamorous fashiones. The acting is top notch from names one would never consider important. The parts of the characters' lives might have seemed insignificant but here they were given real irony. Very frank 1950s violence . So much more fun to see fists used in unexpected places. All of this on a low budget, the only way film noir can be done.