Cry of the City (1948)

Maybe not my first choice as leading man here, but to be fair to Victor Mature he turns in one of his better efforts as officer "Candella". When low-life "Rome" (Richard Conte) finds himself lying in an hospital bed, badly bruised and being pressured by the odious lawyer "Niles" (Barry Kroeger) to admit to a robbery he didn't commit, it falls to the policemen to try to verify who did/knew what - and soon we discover that we have a cop-killer to find. Now "Candella" has been an integral part of this close-knit community for a very long time. He is treated almost like a son by "Ma Rome" and is pretty conflicted as he balances what is right for his job with his local loyalties and his conscience. Things take a turn for the worse for "Rome" when his girlfriend "Teena" (Debra Paget) starts to become embroiled in the investigation and quickly he is faced with tough choices that could put lives at risk as they go into hiding before trying to flee. This is a well paced and scored thriller with an on form Conte rather effective as the borderline smug hoodlum gelling well with both the flighty Paget and the at times almost menacing Mature. It twists and turns a little, giving us a slight indication of the internecine fashion in which these "Little Italy" communities were built and thrived, and the denouement is not quite what you might expect. A tight cast help keep the story focussed and make for an intriguing crime drama with just a little bit extra.