Directed By Otto Preminger
SYNOPSIS
When troubled Detective Dixon (Dana Andrews) accidentally kills a murder suspect, he goes at great lengths to cover it up. When the murder gets pegged on a taxi driver, as Dixon falls in love with the man's daughter (Gene Tierney) he grapples with telling the truth or pegging the killing on a mobster (Gary Merrill) he's been trying to bring down for years.
The director and stars of the film noir classic Laura re-team and deliver a film that is nearly as good as their previous effort.
Director Otto Preminger crafts a well-paced noir that looks like it was crafted in the dark underbelly of society where the story takes place.
The acting is strong, though Gene Tierney's role is far less interesting or crucial to the film as she was in Laura. Her character Morgan is only incidentally involved in the plot. She happens to be the daughter of the accused and be romantically interested in Dixon, but she has no bearing on what transpires. It's a weakly written role by the usually outstanding screenwriting legend Ben Hecht.
The rest of the characters (and the story as a whole) are strongly written, especially Dixon, whose dark familial past (mentioned early on) affects his thinking later. Dana Andrews is one of those actors that seems to be perfectly crafted for being a film noir protagonist. He can play a lead with ease and able to layer his characters with subtle darkness that fits the style of film perfectly.
The story set itself up for an easy, happy, cop-out ending, but it decided not to go that route and is a better film for it.
Where The Sidewalk Ends is a stellar film noir and should be far better known than it is.
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