User reviews

This underrated noir, efficiently handled in all departments, has rather unjustly been overshadowed by its higher-profile color remake – Samuel Fuller’s HOUSE OF BAMBOO (1955), which I’d watched before but will re-acquaint myself with now thanks to the original (scheduled as part of my ongoing Richard Widmark tribute).

The film (whose title is allegorical) deals with F.B.I. rookie Mark Stevens infiltrating a criminal gang headed by Widmark; the Bureau gave Fox (who produced it) their full co-operation: the studio, in fact, had already made THE HOUSE ON 92ND STREET (1945) in a similar vein and, though THE STREET WITH NO NAME is marked by that earlier title’s innovative semi-documentary style, it actually ties in more with the gangster pictures of the 1930s. Incidentally, director Keighley had been responsible for a number of these over at Warners – including BULLETS OR BALLOTS (1936), which I may well check out presently on the strength of my positive response to this one!; Besides, the hero’s undercover activity and the suspense inherent in such a situation anticipates Raoul Walsh’s WHITE HEAT (1949) – while its scenario, also involving the concurrent presence of a ‘rat’ operating within the Bureau itself, would be replicated nearly 60 years later in Martin Scorsese’s THE DEPARTED (2006)!

At first glance, Stevens looks like an unlikely tough guy but, in retrospect, he acquits himself surprisingly well; Widmark – in his second film – has graduated from sadistic thug to unscrupulous gang boss (memorably introduced, with his face half-hidden behind a handkerchief during a night-club ‘job’, spitting a line at the orchestra conductor: “O.K., Stokowski…dry up!”). The film is also blessed with a terrific supporting cast (including Lloyd Nolan, John McIntire and Ed Begley – all of whom play F.B.I. operatives – Donald Buka being especially noteworthy among the criminals as Widmark’s taciturn but ruthless right-hand man, and only one prominent female figure in Barbara Lawrence as the typically-abused gangster’s moll).

As expected, Joe MacDonald’s shadowy lighting emerges to be an indispensable asset here – rendered even more effective (and realistic) by locations carefully-chosen to fit the desired mood of every sequence. A remarkable outburst of violence at the film’s climax (set inside a warehouse) is equivalent, then, to the icing on the cake.

Inspector Briggs : Lloyd Nolan enlists in the state organization to rookie FBI agent Gene Cordell : Mark Stevens, as he is assigned to a dangerous mission : to infiltrate himself into a nasty band led by an evil mobster named Styles : Richard Widmark . Things go awry when a corrupt mole at the police station is delivering information to the gangsters. The FBI Goes Undercover To Nab A Cold-Hearted Killer in This All-Star Crime Thriller With A Unique Storytelling Twist!. Counter Attack! A New Era Of Violence In The Making... A New Kind Of Gangster On The Loose! Here's The Real-Life Drama Of The FBI Counter-Attack Where Law And Order Break Down!

Classy Noir with thrills, supenseful , tension, plot twists and shady characters . Including a semi-documentary style at times , in fact the film's opening prologue states: ''The motion picture you are about to see was adapted from the files of the Federal Bureau of Investigation. Wherever possible, it was photographed in the original locale and played by the actual F. B. I. Personnel involved¨. Stars Mark Stevens providing a good acting as the new FBI agent, along with Loyd Nolan as a tough chief who leads the investigations against the ominous criminal organization. But the best acting goes to the great Richard Widmark, giving an extraordinary show as a ruthless gangster with sadistic tendency by killing , hitting enemies and mistreating his girlfriend, the beautiful Barbara Lawrence. The Street with No Name(1948) is one of three consecutive Richard Widmark Noir films where he performed an evil gangster along with Kiss Of Death and Road House. They're well acccompanied by a remaining and effective support cast , such as : John McIntire, Ed Begley, Howard Smith, Donald Buka, Lane Chandler , Howard Smith , and Joseph Pevney , subsequently a notorious filmmaker .

It contains an atmospheric cinematography in black and white with plenty of lights and shades by Joseph MacDonald , who along with Nicolas Musuruca , John Alton and John Seitz are the best cameramen that worked in the Noir Film genre . The picture was competently directed by William Keighley. This filmmaker was expert on Noir as proved in Each dawn I die, Ladies they talk about, G Men, Bullets and ballots and The Street with no name . Rating : 7/10 . Better than average.

Fox was so encouraged by the success of films like THE HOUSE ON 92ND STREET, BOOMERANG and KISS OF DEATH, that it seemed only natural they would pursue this genre for many years during the '40s. The outcome of this pursuit is a film like THE STREET WITH NO NAME.

New hot property RICHARD WIDMARK is given another chance to shine as a sneering villain who runs a gang the police are anxious to put out of business. They send a mole (MARK STEVENS) to infiltrate the mob and get the goods on Widmark--not unlike the situation in Cagney's WHITE HEAT.

While this one doesn't approach the finesse of Raoul Walsh's WHITE HEAT, it's a solidly entertaining piece of crime melodrama given punch by some good overall performances. Aside from Widmark and Stevens, the cast includes reliable Fox contract players BARBARA LAWRENCE, ED BEGLEY, DONALD BUKA, and JOHN McINTIRE.

Based on an actual FBI case, there's some narration in the manner of other Fox films in this genre. Upcoming MARK STEVENS has the most interesting role and does well with it. Stevens is a young actor who never got his full due at Fox, although he appeared in a number of strong films.

Summing up: Well worth seeing if you're a fan of film noir.

Street with No Name, The (1948)

*** (out of 4)

A couple gangland killings prompt the FBI to sent agent Gene Cordell (Mark Stevens) into a mob being ran by the hot-tempered Alec Stiles (Richard Widmark). The two strike up a good working relationship but soon informants tip off Stiles and Cordell must try and find a way out before getting killed. This crime/thriller has a lot in common with THE HOUSE ON 92ND STREET, although a lot of issues in that film are corrected here. Thankfully all the introductions and most of the narration is cut out in this film as the screenwriters obviously thought viewers would be smart enough to follow the story without having to have someone tell us what's going on every few minutes. By not having the narration we're greeting with some fine performances as both Stevens and Widmark really nail their characters. Stevens comes off very good as the undercover agent as he perfectly fits the role and comes across smart enough to be able to do everything we see here. It should come as no shock that Widmark steals the film as the snake gangster. There's a scene where he beats up his girlfriend that is so perfectly shot and acted that it really does seem like Widmark is getting a kick out of doing it. He has that certain toughness and coolness that makes his character very cold and he does all of this without a single problem. Ed Begley has a supporting role and does great work with it and we get strong performances by Lloyd Nolan, Donald Buka and Barbara Lawrence. This film has been labeled a "film-noir" but I really didn't see it as this has a lot more in common with the gangster films being released by Warner a decade earlier rather than any of the mysteries or dramas coming from various other studios around this time. The use of shadows will certainly remind folks of noir but that's pretty much it. As a crime film, this here works extremely well because we've got a hero we can care for and a villain that we love to hate. The actual story being told certainly isn't anything too original but it's entertaining enough to work and keep the viewer captivated from start to finish. Keighley's direction is top-notch throughout and he has no problem building up a nice atmosphere that hangs thickly over the film. Fans of Scorsese will also notice a few touches in both GOODFELLAS and THE DEPARTED.

J. Edgar Hoover, it now seems, was a mediocre crimefighter but a master orchestrator of his own publicity (and only secondarily that of the FBI). The Street With No Name stands as one of the better films dedicated to kissing his assiduously cultivated legend. Most directors assigned these tasks in the noir cycle wrote off such idolatry as a cost of doing business, clearing it away quickly so as to get on with their moviemaking; William Keighley follows this sensible agenda.

FBI agent Mark Stevens goes undercover to infiltrate the mob in that cesspool of crime, Center City, USA. In the boxing ring, he attracts the attention, slightly open to inference, of boss Richard Widmark, a dapper ("I like my boys to look sharp") cutthroat with a morbid fear of drafts and sneezes. With the aid of confederate John McIntyre, Stevens reports the gang's plans back to the FBI. Alas, a high-placed informant in the police department reports the FBI's plans back to Widmark.

So the movie boils down to the agent-in-peril story. Keighley tells it cleanly and briskly, eschewing the complexities (both visual and moral) of Anthony Mann's T-Men, released just a few months earlier. It's strongest in the feel for Center City's raffish tenderloin, with its fleabag hotels, pool halls and walk-up gyms. Stevens, McIntyre and Lloyd Nolan (as Stevens' superior) give workmanlike jobs with the rather staid roles scriptwriter Harry Kleiner supplies. His few-frills approach reins in Widmark, too, who's always better when he's unfettered and shooting over the top.

The Street With No Name suffers a bit from staying so resolutely all-guy; thus Barbara Lawrence suffers, too, in an underwritten and inconsequential part as Widmark's abused moll. A little more cool yin might have balanced out all that hot, hard yang.

NOTE: In 1955, Samuel Fuller remade -- and rethought -- this movie, using the same screenwriter and cinematographer (Joe MacDonald, now working in color) as House of Bamboo, set in postwar Tokyo.

At first, the docu-drama approach feels like kind of a safety net that prevents the viewer from losing himself completely in this striking noir universe, but the intricacies of the police work were interesting to watch unfold and this is still a strong film. Particularly memorable are the taut, virtually noiseless chase scenes that take place in suitably dark, nightmarish settings, like the one where crook Widmark sniffs out undercover cop Stevens at the hideout. I also liked the colorful low life lingo such as when one of the thugs tells Stevens to "pick yourself a boom-boom" as they suit up for their big score.

Great to see Richard Widmark doing what he does best - playing villains, of course. Few actors could match Widmark when it came to that staple of screen heavies: losing their temper. This guy slaps people's faces with a karate-like precision that's remarkable. And just the way he tells some flunkie henchman he doesn't want around to "blow" is pure heaven. In a role like this, he owns the screen; he's like a well dressed rat always scavenging for his next meal.

I was reading a Cornell Woolrich story about a year ago and one of the characters used a Mark Stevens' picture as an alibi for where they had been at a certain time. Never having heard of Stevens I assumed it was just a made up movie star name and movie title ("I Wonder Who's Kissing Her Now".) Imagine my surprise when shortly thereafter I looked up his name and found out that there certainly was such an actor, a borderline leading man who apparently enjoyed some level of stardom during a 30 or so film career. Judging by his appearance here, he's a good, functional actor, though he has the sort of face it's easy to forget. Which is probably why he was selected for this part, as he isn't asked to carry the film (he's off screen for about half the running time) and as an undercover agent he's naturally required to blend in with his new environment. He does that quite well.

Gene (Mark Stevens) infiltrates a gang led by Alec (Richard Widmark) with the intention of discovering who is responsible for a series of recent shootings and robberies. Gene makes his reports to Inspector Briggs (Lloyd Nolan) and has an undercover contact to help him, Cy (John McIntire). However, Alec suspects that one of his gang is betraying him and he then gets a phone call which confirms things to him....

This is a boys film about gangsters. The only woman with any kind of role - Judy (Barbara Lawrence) appears briefly and gets slapped about - I'm not sure her role has any relevance. The story is good and both the main characters, Mark Stevens and Richard Widmark, play their roles convincingly. A slight irritation is the narrator at the beginning - I wished he would just shut up and let the film take its course. Similarly, there are a few overlong sequences of police checking but overall it's a good film. However, it would have all ended differently were it not for an unsung hero, a cab driver (Charles Tannen).

The success of The House on 92nd Street set a whole new trend of film making for 20th Century Fox. For the rest of the forties, that studio had a lot of success with a certain kind of documentary/noir type film.

In The Street With No Name, Lloyd Nolan repeats his characterization of FBI inspector George Briggs. Briggs, who used an undercover operative in The House on 92nd Street, uses another one to track down a gang of thieves in the mythical Center City in midwest USA.

The undercover guy is Mark Stevens and the gang he finds an infiltrates is led by Richard Widmark in his second film. Widmark's not a psycho like he was in Kiss of Death, but he's just as mean and vicious.

Widmark also has a pipeline into the local police and a real cute gimmick in recruiting members for his gang. It's a race against time for Stevens to track down the informer before he's informed on. Director Bill Keighley keeps the suspense at a fever pitch in this one.

Keighley also has a good feel for the flavor of the seamy world of Center City where Widmark operates from. This is noir at it's best.

"The Street with No Name" is an effective and very suspenseful noir with semi-documentary techniques that are reminiscent of those by Henry Hathaway. Directed by William Keighley, an able action director ("G-Men", "Each Dawn I Die"), it stars Richard Widmark as the creepily murderous mob boss Stiles and Mark Stevens as the innocent looking FBI agent in peril. The film often feels like a painfully dated propaganda for the FBI and its ingenious ways of infiltrating a crime ring after a murder of two innocent people. But the realistic location shooting and the presence of Widmark & Stevens make it watchable.

Richard Widmark stars with Mark Stevens, John McIntyre and Ed Begley in "The Street with No Name" from 1948. Having made such a splash as Tommy Udo, Fox wanted to continue cashing in on Widmark as a bad guy. And let's face it, he played them well.

I expected this to be one of those dry docudramas that rose up in the late '40s and '50s. It did start that way, but then turned into an exciting and interesting story. The FBI becomes involved with bringing a gang of murdering thieves, led by Alec Stiles (Widmark), to justice. To do this, they send in a plant, Gene Cordell (Stevens).

Stiles sees someone he thinks might fit in with his gang and asks a mole in the police organization to check him out. In this way, he's able to get the FBI records. "Gene Cordell" becomes "George Manly" and is drafted into the Stiles group.

When a plan for a robbery is thwarted due to a tipoff, Stiles begins to think someone in his group is a snitch.

Good drama that holds attention.

The Street with No Name (1948)

Lloyd Nolan appears as George Briggs, FBI agent (exactly as he did in Henry Hathaway's 1945 House on 92nd Street), and again, we see the FBI steadfastly solve a crime. This time it isn't that largest of themes, the atom bomb, but a more routine and gripping one, robbery and murder. Short parts of the film are basic FBI training dramatizations (well done, but a little undramatic), and there is sometimes the inevitable omniscient narrator, a little heavyhanded, but the rest of the film cooks along really well. Watch for some great noir scenes, including an edgy shootout in a factory.

Most interesting is the presence of Richard Widmark (in his second film after after Hathaway's Kiss of Death). He is an interesting addition to any movie, from snarling bad guy in Kiss to navy officer in The Bedford Incident. The plot moves at a good clip, and the mayhem compounds as the FBI gradually builds leads (and uses its huge resources), and then the straight drama gets going, and the movie takes off. There are some great night shots, and once the lead agents get out on their own in the layered jazz of the city, it gets edgy and pretty exciting. It never becomes something completely self-sustaining and special, however, due to the need to explain the FBI's tireless and all too flawless efforts.

Director William Keighley had an uneven career, but some high points including the legendary Robin Hood of 1938. Street with No Name pulls together a lot of great scenes, from sleazy hotel rooms to a boxing gym. I enjoyed this a lot more than the seemingly similar (in budget and intent) House on 92nd Street (also 20th Century Fox). You'll notice that there is a lot of trading and overlap of talent in these Fox films, and these are basically B- movies that have the hook of actual FBI promotion built in. Efficient stuff, made for a quick appearance and some short term money (the directors knew these were not classics).

Because we know the FBI will steadfastly succeed, a certain suspense is removed. But maybe that's comparing it to classics like Fox's Kiss of Death, which isn't fair. The Street with No Name is sometimes dazzling, and definitely a qualified pleasure.

The Street With No Name was one of Richard Widmark's first movie roles and he plays a similar role in this as he did in Kiss of Death. He certainly plays a nasty piece of work here and is also a wife-beater.

It is told in semi-documentary style and shot well in black and white, is very atmospheric and has a good music score too.

Also in the cast are Mark Stevens, Lloyd Nolan, Barbara Lawrence and John McIntire (Wagon Train). Great parts from all.

The Street With No Name is worth checking out if you get the chance. Great stuff.

Rating: 4 stars out of 5.

Impressive documentary style noir with a commanding performance by Richard Widmark. Apparently utilising real cops, FBI and internal and external locations, this is a most involving and believable little thriller. The opening is a bit dated with it's 'raise the flag' and breast beating stance in the name of J Edgar Hoover, but once this gets going it is really intoxicating. The night streets of 'skid row' are dripping with shadows as one character after another slips in and out of doorways to pool house or strip joints. There is a major sequence in a boxing gym with a couple of fights in progress and training going on around whilst a bunch of hoods take and place bets on this and that. Good tale, very well told and beautifully photographed.

In Center City, a housewife is murdered in a night-club by a gang of thieves. When a security guard of a bank is killed by the same gun during a heist, the crime becomes a federal offense under FBI jurisdiction. When the prime suspect is released and executed in the same night, FBI Inspector George Briggs (Lloyd Nolan) recruits the rookie agent Gene Cordell (Mark Stevens) to follow the last paths of the victim undercover in the identity of George Manly. Gene meets the powerful gangster Alec Stiles (Richard Widmark) in a gymnasium, and later he is invited to join his gang. Working with his also undercover liaison Cy Gordon (John McIntire), Gene finds evidences to incriminate Stiles. However, he discovers also that somebody from the precinct is feeding Stiles with classified information.

The beginning of "The Street with No Name" is frustrating, actually a FBI (and J. Edgar Hoover) propaganda in a documentary style. However, the development of the story is good, with great performances and a magnificent cinematography in black and white. The conclusion is also disappointing and totally unbelievable. Harry Kleiner spares Gene Cordell in a silly and unsatisfactory resolution of a suspenseful story. The plot would be credible is Gene was shot in the end. I do not understand why the genre "film-noir" is listed in IMDb for this typical police story. My vote is seven.

Title (Brazil): "Rua Sem Nome" ("Street Without Name")

I viewed The Street With No Name for the first time in a long time last night and it was as exciting as the first time I watched it---What a great movie! Based on real FBI files and shot on location where possible: Awesome!!! It's an early Donnie Brosco with a very dark, wonderful twist. The movie is a statement on corruption and just how hot it can get for the person/people trying to bring down a very powerful, influential criminal gang of thugs. While the movie does play on the "good guys not being so good" element of film noir, the genre as a whole is just as much about how the movie is shot as it is about characters, and how this movie was shot is where this film falls short of being film noir. While the movie is a very dark crime movie and a lot of the scenes are filmed outdoors on rainy nights, the movie merely gives a nod to the lighting/shadowing aspects of film noir as there are quite a few day scenes and/or scenes that are shot in very well lit rooms (i.e. the boxing gym, the FBI offices, etc.). Furthermore, getting back to characters, this movie is missing one key element if it is to be considered film noir...Aside from the lighting, how women are portrayed in this film also causes it to fall far short of film noir: I won't give up the details, but watch the movie and you'll see what I mean if you know about the roll a woman should play in a noir film. Finally, Although I liked his part in The Kiss Of Death a little more---boy was he evil in that movie--- Richard Widmark does a great job in this, one of his earlier films, and the rest of the actors do a very competent job in playing their parts as well. An 8-8.5 in my book: A great movie, but i don't know if it should be considered film noir.

Good drama with Widmark superbly playing a brilliant yet murderous Alec Stiles, the piano playing leader of a band of notorious robbers. This gang of thugs is aided in their evil ways by a police insider. To foil this nefarious troop of cutthroats, the F.B.I. send in an undercover man who must deal with Stiles and the informant who eventually puts Stiles wise to a leak in his organization. Widmark makes such a good hood.

Zanuck must've really, really loved Warner Bros.' G-Men from 13 years earlier... it's got the same director (the reputedly snobby William Keighley), the same capable Lloyd Nolan. But the problem is that Mark Stevens seems to sleep walk through his part as the undercover guy--- he displayed a lot more range in 'Dark Corner' (RKO, 1946), one of the best of the 40's film noir's. Sure, there's Richard Widmark as the bitch-slapping hood and a plot with some mild subterfuge, but there's nothing at the core of 'Street With No Name' that's really memorable. The late, great John McIntyre shows the most grit. Everyone involved did far better work at some other point in their careers. This is just another of the semi-documentary detective flicks so popular in the years immediately following WW2. Unfortunately, it's far from the best. I'll take 'Naked City' or '13 Rue Madeline' over this anytime.