Robert Charles

(2012-04-27 15:54:31)

intensely simple, simply intense; must see

Adding my simple and direct...Payne's personal individuality sweats offthe screen in this top notch noir. This is must see for anyone wholoves mystery, noir or film at all. Lack of top rung stars makes allthe better and at least four performances couldn't be be improved.Cinematography simple but effective, although some dubious shots atend. Flaws include melodrama at start and finish but they don't affectthe core 80 minutes.Payne is brilliant even when dull or dumb. Evil wifey way sexy in thepantheon of evil chicks, but the 10 second cigarette lighting event atthe end burns steals the limited sexy award in the film (still tryingto research how many takes it took).The violence is pretty real for that time and only two short periods ofhokum in the film, probably to keep it palatable in theaters at thetime. Shockingly unknown, some of the characters from KC Confidentialkeep the all pieces in place, but 99 River Street is more intense andless surreal than that standard. Enjoy.

bmacv

(2012-04-27 04:22:40)

John Payne/Phil Karlson combo makes for potent punch

The underrated John Payne -- an ideal Everyman -- teamed with director PhilKarlson in a number of 50s thrillers. All bear viewing, but maybe the pickof the crop is 99 River Street. Payne plays a washed-up boxer now driving ahack, and the movie opens in a frame-within-a-frame of his watching himselfin an old bout on TV. Trying to win back the affections of hiscouldn't-care-less wife (Peggie Castle), he discovers that she's two-timinghim. Meanwhile an old gal-pal with theatrical yearnings (Evelyn Keyes, andmaybe her finest hour) tries to enlist him in a scheme of her own, whichbackfires. Next, his wife turns up dead....Karlson keeps the tension highbut well-modulated while managing to strike most of the images and motifs onthe noir keyboard (including some evocative night footage of the Jerseywaterfront). Overall, this installment in the cycle (which has neverappeared on commercial videotape) remains one of the most satisfying andcharacteristic examples of noir in the early Eisenhower era -- slightly lessspooky than its 40s predecessors, but a bit more brutal,too.

KEITH-LANCASTER

(2012-04-22 02:52:09)

A bit different and worth watching.

Ernie Driscoll (John Payne) loses his heavyweight boxing crown andhas to endure the nagging tirades of his wife. She realizesthatErnie`s defeat and his deteriorating fighting abilities willmeanno more big paychecks. She gets involved with Brad Dexter ( asmall time hood) hoping that Dexter`s big time ambitions willhelpto elevate her social and financial status. However whenDexterdoes hit it big, her demands and threats incur his ire and hekillsher. Driscoll is blamed and now has to find out who did kill hiswife.From here on in the action is fast and furious. Evelyn Keyes andFrank Faylen are his allies (Keyes, a budding actress and Faylen abuddy working with Driscoll as a cab driver) who ably assist inthe dangerous quest to find the killer. Earlier in the filmKeyeshad tricked Payne (Driscoll) into believing that she had killed aman during an argument. Payne follows her to the scene ofthe"crime" which appears to have occurred on the stage of anemptytheatre. She becomes hysterical as she looks at the body,Paynecomforts her and tries to calm her. The murder is a hoax.Keyesis on trial to display her acting skills. The lights go on andseveral people appear, all applauding the performance given byKeyes.Driscoll is furious and attacks them knocking the nearest mandown.His anger is short lived and he befriends her realizing that hisviolent attack had probably lost her the role for which she wasauditioning. A series of encounters with other hoods (alsolookingfor Dexter and whatever he has) eventually leads to thelocationof Dexter. The final scene takes place on the deck of a shipwhereDexter is planning to make his escape. A fight between him and Payne results in a confession and the subsequent exoneration ofPayne. One thing I find very realistic in movies starring JohnPayne,and that is that his fights all seem to underline his obviousskillat being able to throw punches that any boxer would be proudof.Watch his fistic display during a fight he has with JackLambert.This happens midway through the film when Payne cornersLambertin a sleazy hotel room and "persuades" him to reveal thewhereaboutsof Dexter. A film full of action and tension, see it I think you`llagree.

CatTales

(2012-04-21 12:22:34)

Unpredictable, clever, engaging fast-paced noir.

I've seen many film noirs and this one still had some wild, unexpected plottwists. Plot was clever but never too confusing(in spite of the wonderfultwists), and employed believable film noir ambience (sexy betraying blonde,hard-up disillusioned hero, & good girl sidekick, heist, etc). Film doesn'temote too much sentiment with the characters, you sympathize alittle withthe "hero" and a gangster. VERY FUN to watch. Definitely underrated, esp.compared with ANYTHING made after 1970. My only problem with it: did theyreally make closet doors with bolt locks in the 1950's?(our hero locks abadguy in a closet).

jimmccool

(2012-04-20 23:12:47)

A Must-See For Noir Fans

Think Kansas City Confidential - and you'll known where this hot potatois a-comin' from. Terse, twisty, and more than a bit brutal, with performances from bothmain and secondary characters that are never short of excellent, 99River Street is a real treat for hard-boiled Noir fans. This 'B' was anunknown quantity to me and gave me a realpleasant-as-cold-beer-on-a-hot-Sunday surprise. The plot turns andtwists like a rattlesnake on ketamine, while the host of slimy villainsoozing their way through the deitrus of the Dark City - when notforce-feeding puppies! - reflect an ocean of corruption and moraldecay. Even Payne is a very flawed hero, wrestling with wife-beatingrage, and lashing out even at those who try to care for him. Stand-outsinclude Brad Dexter as a sleaze-ball crook, even more cunning than thehomicidal 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!

sol

(2012-04-20 14:20:31)

Who's Victor! Where can I find him!

***SPOILERS*** Ex-professional prize fighter Earnie Driscoll, JohnPayne, has been working the nigh shift driving a cab for the last threeyears to earn enough money to open up a gas station and,in his mind, beon easy street for the rest of his life. It's Earnie's nagging wifePauline, Peggy Castle, who's been busting his chops in what a failurehe is in once being the #1 contender for the worlds heavyweight crownto now hacking for a living after the state boxing board revoked hislicense! That was after the beating he took in his title match withheavyweight champ Sailor Braxton, Hal Baylor, that almost left Earnieblind in one eye.It's when Pauline got involved with diamond thief Victor Rawlins, BradDexter, that the roof fell in on Earnie's head. Not only looking tocheck out with Victor Pauline also gets unknowingly involved in acriminal act that he committed in murdering his diamond smugglingcontact the Dutchman and taking his $50,000.00 worth of uncut diamondsthat soon turned deadly for her. That's only after Earnie caughtPauline in the act of smooching with Victor as he came to pick her upfrom work at the flower shop! Mad as hell for being make a sucker of byPauline Earnie got involved,in a friendly not romantic way, withaspiring actress Linda James, Evelyn Keyes, who in return got himinvolved in a murder that she committed! That's when the producer ofthe play Linda wanted a part in got a little too fresh with her and ina white hot rage she did him in! Or was it all an just an act to getthe part on Linda's part!Made a fool of, by Pauline and Linda, twice in one night was just toomuch for the proud but poor Earnie Driscoll to take but what happenednext was anything but harmless! Pauline,in order to keep her mouth shutfor good, got murdered by her now ex-lover Victor who then made Earnieto look like the fall guy, by sticking Pauline's body in the back seatof his cab, by framing him in her murder! Not only that but Mr.Christopher, Jay Adler, who was to fence the $50,000.00 in diamonds forVictor who later robbed him of it felt that it was Earnie as well asVictor who double crossed him in the deal by being Victor's partner!On the run from the cops and Mr. Christopher's henchmen Earnie togetherwith Linda, who's now in love with him, has only hours to prove hisinnocence before Victor, his only alibi to is wife Pauline's murder,checks out of the country on a freighter for France where he, and the$50,000.00 he robbed Mr. Christopher of, will never be seen or heardfrom again!***SPOIERS*** Hard hitting film noir thriller with Earnie Driscolltaking it on the chin as well as chest, with a .38 slug, as he tracksdown Victor Rawlins to the docks of Jersey City before he makes hisgetaway out of the country. Earnie got a lot of help from Linda whorealized what a fink she was in her tricking him into thinking she wasa murderess just to earn her a part in a Broadway play. In the endEarnie and Linda not only tied the knot but opened up a gas stationthat ended up doing record breaking business with the hundreds of NewYork City cabbies, who worked out of the same taxi garage that Earniedid, exclusively filling up their gas-tanks there!

(2012-04-19 06:00:25)

Very Good Twisty Film Noir - Nice Warner's image too.

Good reproduction of an unrestored film from Warner Bros. archive. Very crisp and clear, only minor flaws and good sound. I had not seen this film before and was surprised as to how good it is.The well writen story has some great twists and turns that had me fooled me a number of times.A down on is luck boxer who is hunted by the police for allegedly killing a woman - must clear his name by finding the real psychopathic killer - before its to late. 99 River Street has usual classic film noir touches that we all love: A confused and hunted-by-the-law anit-hero, at least one or maybe one and half fem fatales, an assortment of ugly underworld characters, foggy water fronts, sweaty boxing arenas, seedy cafes, dark alleys and an assortment of red herings.The acting by the entire cast is very good even if at times there appears to some overacting - but as it turns out the overacting is deliberate and part of the story. Pretty clever on the part of the film makers. I also noticed some very aggressive and beautifully rendered, atmospheric mat-shots scattered here and there in the film. The only thing the film lacks is the ultra cool dead-pan dialogue found in the very top film noirs - Double Indemnity for example - and I found the ending for 99 River Street to be just a bit too nicey nice "they lived happily ever after" for an otherwise pretty dark film noir. All that said - I think 99 River Street should be in top twenty-five film noirs - it's great find.

Paul Curtis

(2012-04-18 17:22:13)

An ex-boxer finds himself mixed up in robbery and murder.

This is definitely a minor crime film, but it is one of the best examples ofthe genre I can recall. Within ten minutes of the start of the story, theviewer comes to care about the main character and his situation. The storyproceeds logically and rapidly, and many of the incidental characters arewell-defined and likeable. It's not going to end up on many top-ten lists,but this is as close to a perfect movie as you're likely to see.

(2012-04-11 17:26:13)

Competent DVD--Good Image

Many of us film noir fans have waited a long time for an offiicial studio release of 99 RIver Street starring John Payne. And while the film was not restored or remastered, it is certainly very watchable, The package erroneously indicates that this movie is in "widescreen". It's not---the movie was filmed in 4:3 aspect ratio and that is what you see on the DVD. I was fearful that they would crop the top and bottom of the image for a "widescreen" effect. Don't worry they didn't. There are no extras--but who cares?

rpvanderlinden

(2012-04-11 08:24:51)

Extra! Extra! Hard-Nosed Crime Thriller K.O.'s the Competition!

Wow! Here's a nifty little noir that doesn't pull its punches. Frank,nasty and brutal, it's the story of an ex-boxer with a bad temper who'sstill boiling over the defeat that ended his career four years earlier.Now he's driving cab and dreaming of better times ahead when he findsout his wife is fooling around on him. He does another dishy dame afavour only to be played for a sucker. And it's still early in theevening. By the middle of the night he's mixed up with murder and anest of scumbags. I've had bad days - and nights - but nothing likethis.This movie has energy to spare, and conviction, and characters who getunder your skin one way or another. The hero, Ernie (John Payne), is aseething cauldron, and that's okay because he's up for a good fight,not so okay for his wife (Peggie Castle) who wants out. You'd want himon your side, though - even if he's down for the count he'll always getup to fight another round. The dish (Evelyn Keyes) turns out to havewhat it takes, and her acting and seducing skills make for a dynamitescene near the end. For once the writers know what to do with a backstory, with the boxing theme skillfully played throughout the movie andorchestrated into a white-knuckle climax and satisfying conclusion. Asfor Keyes and that scene - the movie could have been called "CashmereBecomes Her" - it's hot, hot, hot! When she lights her cigarette fromsleazoid Brad Dexter's smoldering fag tip, the tendrils of smokecaressing both their faces, I had to pinch myself to see if I washaving a wet dream. Sex and violence are the key ingredients here - andcinematic exuberance. You couldn't ask for more. Just have yourNicorettes handy.

(2012-04-08 08:07:21)

Very Nice Looking Transfer to DVD-R

This review is from: 99 River Street (DVD) These MGM Limited Edition titles have been really hit or miss. Here's a good one. A very rich looking image with excellent contrast and detail. I wish they all looked this good. Recommended!

bkoganbing

(2012-04-07 10:45:27)

Cab Driver On A Mission

99 River Street finds John Payne cast as a former heavyweight boxer nowdriving a cab having lost his chance at the title due to an eye injuryin the same bout. His wife Peggie Castle who married him in his glamordays is running around with professional thief Brad Dexter behindPayne's back. Of course he's quite a bit put out when he discoversthis.But Castle's bought into a lot more than she could chew. Dexter killeda man on a robbery in which Castle had earlier cased the joint. As aresult fence Jay Adler doesn't want to know from him or the jewels herobbed. And Castle's ready to come apart. Adler makes it clear hedoesn't like dealing with women as a general rule in any case.What to do, but murder Castle and frame Payne for it. But fortunatelyPayne has Evelyn Keyes along who witnesses the shock when Payne findsCastle's body dumped in his cab. She's already involved Payne in herown little scheme for Broadway stardom that didn't quite work out. Butshe initially comes off as an airhead, but in reality proves to be goodwhen the going gets tough.Phil Karlson who directed Payne in one of my favorite noir films KansasCity 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 womenand they seem to run rings around him. It does kind of detract from himas a hero. Producer Edward Small and director Karlson got a great group ofsupporting players like Eddy Waller, Jack Lambert, and most of allFrank Faylen as his former trainer now his cab dispatcher to supporthis stars besides the ones I already mention. Payne's final scene withBrad Dexter is reminiscent of his championship fight. 99 River Street while not up to Kansas City Confidential's standards isstill pretty good and will keep your attention to John Payne and hismission.

edwagreen

(2012-04-04 07:24:27)

99 River- Goes Up the River ***1/2

Excellent film noir with John Payne starring as an ex-prizefighter upto his neck in trouble. Evelyn Keyes steals the picture with some fineacting, particularly when she is using Payne to rehearse for a part ina Broadway show.The film doesn't really make it look like women are exactly too nicehere. Keyes, though redeeming herself, played Payne for a sap in thatacting scene, and his movie-wife, Peggy Castle, acts like Virginia Mayodid in "The Best Years of Our Lives," when her marriage was over.Castle is two-timing Payne and gets punished for it by her lover, heavyBrad Dexter.This is a very enjoyable mystery capped off with a great cast.

secondtake

(2012-04-03 13:50:57)

A great confluence of talent make this B movie an A movie knockout

99 River Street (1953)While it starts off as a boxing movie, it soon segues into a kind oflow budget crime film, filled with all kinds of impressive details andrealistic nuances of the time. It's a pretty great story, too, almostsomething that could happen to you if you weren't paying attention.It's a film noir, certainly, with the lead male, the washed up boxer,played with regular-guy restraint by John Payne. He holds up his endquite well (and his boxing comes in handy more than once). Better still is his love interest (not his wife), played by EvelynKeyes. She does grow more important as the plot goes on, to the pointthat her acting career starts to take over the crime narrative. Butthis is so smartly done, and tied in so well (the play she wants to actin is "They Call It Murder"), it makes the movie that much moreinteresting. And makes our lead man all the more confused and isolated.Along with all the good plot and decent acting that make any crime filmin the 1950s fly, there is something else that is a characteristic Bmovie advantage--the sets and the little details in the background arenot slicked up and over-stylized. It feels like we're in the real deal,so the ice cream shop and the streets and the docks all strike us asauthentic. It's not a cheaply filmed movie. In fact, it feels likeA-list movie in most ways, except that it lacks that patina ofperfection that contemporary movies with bigger budgets have (fromWyler's films of the period, to Wilders, as a starting point). The director is known mostly for "Kansas City Confidential," anotherB-noir. Payne is a second tier actor, making a lucky and oddly perfectappearance as the leading man in "Miracle on 34th Street." And Keyeshad a long career with many roles such as this, though her moment inthe sun was as Scarlett O'Hara's sister in "Gone with the Wind."Finally, cinematographer Franz (often credited as Frank) Planer was aconsummate pro, doing a slew of great films including "Breakfast atTiffany's" and four other Hepburn movies.So if this was a surprise for me, it shouldn't have been. Sometimestalent pulls together just so, and here's a nice example.

Neil Doyle

(2012-03-25 23:27:31)

Very gripping, brutal film noir with John Payne as bad-tempered ex-boxer...

This is definitive film noir where the hero must prove he isn't guiltyof a crime and has to deal with the thugs out to frame him and a womanwho gets him into more trouble than he ever expected.JOHN PAYNE excels as the scowling fighter who has a couple of reallywell-staged fight scenes with JACK LAMBERT and BRAD DEXTER, outside thering and in the dark underworld of crime and passion.The surprise of this low-budget thriller is EVELYN KEYES as anambitious actress who gets Payne unknowingly involved in her attempt toland a Broadway role wherein she plays a nasty trick on him. Then, tomake up for her rash behavior and poor judgment, she sticks by him whenhe needs a witness to prove he didn't murder his wife, played withrelish by PEGGY CASTLE.Under Phil Karlson's direction, it's all wildly unpredictable withenough sub-plots and twists to make it engrossing from start to finish.Payne was after meatier roles after leaving Fox in all of those prettyboy roles and musicals, establishing a new persona as a tough film noirhero, rugged and ready for the fight. He's excellent and so are theother players.Keyes reveals raw acting talent of astonishing intensity, especially inthe key scene where she plays a theatrical trick on him--and theviewer.As usual, an actor who once played leading roles at Fox, GLENN LANGAN,is wasted in a minor role. FRANK FAYLEN gives his usual reliableperformance as Payne's taxi driver friend.Well worth watching if you're a film noir fan and don't mind a grittytale that doesn't pull its punches.

Eric Chapman

(2012-03-25 15:32:51)

"You're a reckless man, Rawlins. And I don't like reckless men."

I had really only been familiar with John Payne from his role in theChristmas classic "Miracle on 34th Street" and perhaps a forgettable musicalor two. Naturally I was amazed at how effective he is in this dazzling,violent noir as a basically decent but brooding and extremely volatileformer prize fighter reduced to driving a cab to support his beautiful,cheating wife. His acting is unflinching, unsentimental and completelyauthentic. He creates nearly as vivid and memorable a hard luck character asMarlon Brando did in "On The Waterfront".The big city of this film (as presented by the marvelous and criminallyunder-appreciated director Phil Karlson) is a simultaneous vision of heavenand hell. Frank Faylen, Evelyn Keyes and Eddy Waller are angels, willing todo anything to protect vulnerable Payne (even mislead the police), theirfaith in his inherent goodness unshakeable despite his tirades andself-destructive tendencies. Brad Dexter, Peggie Castle, Jay Adler and JackLambert are devils; selfish, ruthless and evil to the core (although thereare shadings to Castle's portrayal of the cheating wife which suggest shedoes feel some remorse). At one point Payne gets caught in the web of thevillainous Adler, who has bigger fish to fry, and explains that he needs tobe let go so he can find the man who framed him for murder. "Well, isn'tthat unfortunate?" Adler coldly responds before having one of his henchmanconk 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 throughwith a fresh, inspired take. A sly, sturdy, thrilling, consistentlysurprising picture.

(2012-03-23 06:29:41)

Terse example of rough & tumble 50s noir

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 marvelousset-pieces, one in an empty theater and the other a greasy-spoondiner where she really vamps it up with Brad Dexter. Too badKeyes dropped out of pictures in the mid-50s.

Keith Kjornes

(2012-03-23 03:34:44)

Very Good Noir film all the way around

John Payne plays a bitter cab driver saddled with a cheating wife whowants the moon and the stars and everything that goes with it.Something she realizes will never come married to this broken downhack. Such is the singular event that starts in motion a series ofevents, some coincidental, some planned and all of them unexpected. Andunlike some lesser entries into the film noir black and white movies ofthe day, this has some totally logical and totally unexpected twistsalong the way. Peggie Castle was never sexier than this film, EvelynKeyes was never more reserved-- until you get about the three quartersmark, and then she does one of the most erotic things I've ever seen inany film from 1953 or anywhere in the '50's. The fight scenes aregritty and realistic and the dialog is understated and not hysterical.And the pacing is big screen professional. I highly recommend this filmto anyone looking for some serious fun.

planktonrules

(2012-03-19 10:27:47)

A gritty John Payne...that's quite an improvement over his old persona.

In the 1930s and 40s, John Payne played a handsome but relatively blandguy in many top films. He was eye candy and mostly played supportingcharacters. However, in 1950's Payne was no longer the handsome matinГѓВ©eidol and instead often took parts in tough westerns or film noir (suchas "Kansas City Confidential"--as well as "99 River Street".Payne plays a washed up boxer who is married to a cheating no-goodtramp. She loved him well enough when he was on top in the fight gamebut now that he's no longer able to box, she is stepping out on himwith a crook. He offers more excitement and all the fancy stuff thatPayne cannot afford. Payne discovers them and storms off. In themeantime, the boyfriend and Payne's wife walk into a bad deal and Payneis set up with a very, very unfunny practical joke. Considering thatfollowing these events Payne is very publicly angry, he is the mostlikely suspect when his wife is killed--especially since the killermade sure to make it look like Payne's doing. So, it's up to Payne anda lady friend to clear himself and find the real killer before the copsfind him. The only problem is that there are some REALLY dangerouscharacters out to kill the killer--and anyone else that gets in theirway.This is a very tough film--and one that is perfect for Payne's newimage. The boxing scenes were brutal(with lots of atypical 1950sblood), the dialog snappy and the plot quite engaging. I alsoappreciated the wonderful vamp scene that Evelyn Keyes did near theend--you gotta see this one! An excellent noir thriller--and highlyrecommended.

(2012-03-18 22:17:35)

99 River Street

This review is from: 99 River Street (DVD) This one was a real surprise for me. Tight story line plus excellent acting by Payne and Keyes. A great noir and worth the price.