Tuesday's Overlooked Films: 99 River Street

This 1953 film noir, recommended to me from somewhere I've forgotten, turns out to be a gem for me. I haven't seen a better B picture in a while. It stars John Payne, Evelyn Keyes, Brad Dexter, Frank Faylen, and Peggie Castle. Payne plays an ex-champion heavyweight boxer who recently lost the biggest fight of his career. He now drives a NYC cab for a paycheck, and his shrewish wife (Peggy Castle) is tired of their boring marriage and lack of money. She hooks up with a smooth-talking diamond thief (Brad Dexter), and they make plans to skip town. Meantime Payne meets his actress friend (Evelyn Keyes) who has her own problems and seeks Payne's aid. The New York Times film critic at the time ripped the movie, but all the objections raised are the very things that make it fun. Evelyn Keyes delivers a crackerjack performance (one scene is a standout--you'll know it when you see it), and the fight sequences are well-done. John Payne who I've seen perform before in films makes for a convincing washed-up but not beaten yet pug. IMDb.com rate 99 River Street at 7.4/10.0, but I'd give it a solid 8.0.