Essays

Night and the City (1950): Get Rich or Die Running

Scored by the echoing footsteps of its desperate protagonist, 'Night and the City' is a Film Noir masterpiece.

Tod Molloy

14 Jan 2026 — 5 min read

Scored by the echoing footsteps of its desperate protagonist, Jules Dassin’s Night and the City is a Film Noir masterpiece.

The film accelerates from a running start, offering few breathers as it moves toward its inevitable climax. We catch up with Fabian as he embarks upon another get rich quick scheme, a series of con jobs he believes will lead to a career in London’s entertainment industry.

But Fabian gets in too deep, and his only choice is to hatch an even bolder scheme—one that carries deadly consequences.

Richard Widmark as doomed protagonist Harry Fabian.

Night and the City can be watched on different levels. When we set aside the historical, political and autobiographical readings and examine the movie itself, what remains is a perfectly rendered Noir.

Plotting is tight and simple, a logical chain of events in which the stakes are gradually raised. Nothing gets lost. No cheap devices are employed. No scenes are wasted.

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Read more

Little Caesar (1931): An Early Slice of Noir

The Green Cockatoo (1937): Graham Greene Takes Flight

Scarface (1932): The World Is Yours

City Streets (1931): Gangster Cowboy Noir