The Street With No Name

The Street With No Name
1948 - 20th Century Fox
Directed By William Keighley



SYNOPSIS

After a mysterious gang in Center City kills 2 innocent people on a crime spree, The FBI Inspector (Lloyd Nolan) sends in Agent Gene Cordell (Mark Stevens) to find and infiltrate the gang. Cordell becomes 'George Manly' and gets in with the gang led by Stiles (Richard Widmark.) Stiles' contact in the police tells him the FBI and police know of the gang's upcoming robbery. The gangster soon suspects someone in his group and soon he finds evidence pointing to George Manly.



MY THOUGHTS

It feels like I've seen this somewhere before...

The Street With No Name's first act is practically identical to the wartime film noir The House on 92nd Street (read my review by clicking here.)
We're told from the onset that what we will see is based on real events in FBI case-files. A montage of actual FBI agents and workers follows with a narrator giving the film a documentary feel. We're then introduced to the central problem of the story... a gang that's threatening public safety. Lloyd Nolan appears as Inspector Briggs and selects an new promising agent to infiltrate said gang.

This is exactly what happens in both films.... but from there the stories diverge. 92nd Street dealt with saboteurs trying to get atomic bomb secrets, while The Street With No Name deals with the same common hoods that were a problem before the war. But, the hero in both films faces very similar problems in fitting in with his new 'friends' and finding out how to save the day.

This story archetype is very limited. Having seen this plot used countless times on TV and in film (especially in many James Bond subplots,) we know the agent will be found out at some point. He also will be uncertain when he's forced to break the law while playing his alter-ego.

There's only two ways you can make a well-worn plot stand out - it's got to look great and have great performances.

The direction from William Keighley is outstanding. He brings the story a fast pace and real suspense. When Cordell/Manly secretly investigates the gang's weapon's stash and Stiles shows up... it's a very tense escape through the shadows. The final robbery, after Stiles learns Cordell/Manly is in the FBI, is filled with even more tension and dread.
Keighley fills the screen with some of the screen's best noir photography. Many rooms are cluttered and dark, creating many shadows that are very visually appealing and create a great atmosphere for the film.

The actors also brought their 'A-game.'
Richard Widmark was coming off his film debut in Kiss Of Death which netted him an Oscar nomination. He played an insane homicidal gangster thug. Widmark plays a remarkably similar character here, though Stiles is more refined, a leader and not as certifiably crazy. He carried both roles with such a charismatic sense of cool and evil that he's great to watch and practically steals every scene he's in.

He's a sharp contrast to Mark Stevens. Stevens, as a young responsible upstanding FBI agent, plays the man wooden, like the by-the-book type of character should be. He 'loosens his tie' a bit when becoming George Manly (whatta name!) and develops more of a sharper wit and swagger.

The rest of the gang seems to be more realistic than you're average background gangster characters. They're usually either square-jawed thugs who look gruff and grumble when they talk... or goofy Damon Runyan-types (a la Guys And Dolls.) These gangsters seem to split the difference and seem like real people.

The script gives Lloyd Nolan less to do here than in The House On 92nd Street. He appears only briefly, in a role similar to M in a James Bond film.

The film does lack the female touch. Stiles' punching bag of a girlfriend is the only woman in the cast. The absence of women is unusual for noir.

Still, The Street With No Name is able to overcome that and the stale plot to become a suspenseful and entertaining film noir.