New York Confidential

"When these guns go off they set off the biggest screen explosion about the violence-and-vice merchants ever made public!"

1955 1h 27m EN

😐

6.0

MID

★6.0TMDB · 17

CrimeDrama

Synopsis

Spoiler shield

Story follows the rise and subsequent fall of the notorious head of a New York crime family, who decides to testify against his pals in order to avoid being killed by his fellow cohorts.

“When these guns go off they set off the biggest screen explosion about the violence-and-vice merchants ever made public!”

WhatsApp X Facebook Telegram

Where to watch · US

Cast

Broderick Crawford
Charlie Lupo
Richard Conte
Nick Magellan
Marilyn Maxwell
Iris Palmer
Anne Bancroft
Kathy Lupo
J. Carrol Naish
Ben Dagajanian
Onslow Stevens
Johnny Achilles
Barry Kelley
Robert Frawley
Mike Mazurki
Arnie Wendler

Credits

Behind the camera

Director: Russell Rouse
Writers: Russell Rouse, Clarence Greene
Languages: English
Countries: United States of America

Want more? Switch to Cinephile mode in the header for DP, composer, budget, box office, production companies, keywords, and release history.

Did you know?

Fun facts 🍿

1 / 8

RUNTIME

Did you know

87 minutes exactly — the "classic feature" runtime most directors aim for.

MoodPlayr · trivia#01

2 / 8

ERA

Did you know

71 years old — a genuine piece of film history.

MoodPlayr · trivia#02

3 / 8

ERA

Did you know

Directed by Russell Rouse, shot by Eddie Fitzgerald. Note their partnership — DPs and directors often return to each other across a career.

MoodPlayr · trivia#03

4 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Original score by Joseph Mullendore. Worth a dedicated listen after — most great films lose half their impact without the score.

MoodPlayr · trivia#04

5 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Editor Grant Whytock shaped the rhythm. On an edit-heavy film, the editor does more to control your pulse than the director.

MoodPlayr · trivia#05

6 / 8

CAST

Did you know

Broderick Crawford and Richard Conte and Marilyn Maxwell carry the top of the cast.

MoodPlayr · trivia#06

7 / 8

FACT

Did you know

Marketing tagline: "When these guns go off they set off the biggest screen explosion about the violence-and-vice merchants ever made public!".

MoodPlayr · trivia#07

8 / 8

WILD

Did you know

IMDB entry: tt0048421 — still the authoritative cross-reference for credits and trivia.

MoodPlayr · trivia#08

Cinephile deep dive

The take

Russell Rouse directs. Eddie Fitzgerald behind the camera. Joseph Mullendore scores. Grant Whytock cuts. Runs lean at under 100 minutes. Produced in United States of America. Dialogue in English.

Trivia

Things worth knowing

187 minutes exactly — the "classic feature" runtime most directors aim for.
271 years old — a genuine piece of film history.
3Directed by Russell Rouse, shot by Eddie Fitzgerald. Note their partnership — DPs and directors often return to each other across a career.
4Original score by Joseph Mullendore. Worth a dedicated listen after — most great films lose half their impact without the score.
5Editor Grant Whytock shaped the rhythm. On an edit-heavy film, the editor does more to control your pulse than the director.
6Broderick Crawford and Richard Conte and Marilyn Maxwell carry the top of the cast.
7Marketing tagline: "When these guns go off they set off the biggest screen explosion about the violence-and-vice merchants ever made public!".
8IMDB entry: tt0048421 — still the authoritative cross-reference for credits and trivia.
9Only 17 TMDB ratings — you're getting ahead of the curve on this one.

The technical file

Cinematography: Eddie Fitzgerald
Original score: Joseph Mullendore
Editing: Grant Whytock
Production design: Fernando Carrere
Costume design: Ernest Newman
Makeup / hair: Harry Thomas
Sound: Roger Heman Sr.
Runtime: 87 min · 1h 27m
Status: Released
Original language: EN
IMDB: New York Confidential (1955)

Also by

Russell Rouse

Trailers & featurettes

Watch the pieces

Community reviews

What people are saying

John Chard2019-02-10
★ 8/10
Everybody's out for what they can get. New York Confidential is directed by Russell Rouse and collectively written by Rouse, Jack Lait , Lee Mortimer and Clarence Greene. It stars Broderick Crawford, Richard Conte, Anne Bancroft, Marilyn Maxwell, J. Carrol Naish, Onslow Stevens, Barry Kelley and Mike Mazurki. Music is by Joseph Mullendore and cinematography by Eddie Fitzgerald. The Kefauver Committee was set up at the beginning of the 1950s and its role was to investigate into the growing threat of organised crime. From this very real moment in time came a wave of films that jumped onto the possibilities on offer for dramatic filmic purpose, New York Confidential is one such picture. In short order the plot has Crawford as New York Syndicate boss Charles Lupo, who borrows hit-man Nick Maggelan (Conte) from the Chigao branch to enact a hit. The pair quickly strike up a terrific relationship, but as problems within the Lupo home begin to mount up - and the heat starts to close in on the organisation - cracks begin to turn into chasms. It says a lot about the efforts of the cast that this turns out to be better than it had right to be. The interesting slant here is the impact of family life on the main man. Lupo is a widower who still lives with his mother and daughter, he dotes on his mother and smothers his daughter Katherine (Bancroft) in what he thinks is fatherly love. She hates his criminal workings and rebels against it, something which Lupo can't quite understand. Thrust into the mix is Magellan, suave and good looking, he has tremendous loyalty to Lupo, so when Katherine grabs his eye he has to fight his feelings for her and his commitment to Lupo. Add in Lupo's sultry girlfriend Iris (Maxwell), who has no loyalty and wants to bed Magellan, then emotional conflict and tests of character are boldly prominent. Beginning with shots of New York City and a narration telling us about how great and prosperous the city is, it is however the core of Syndicated Crime. We switch to a drive by killing, one which claims an innocent bystander, and the scene is set for Lupo and Magellan to meet and the story spins on from there. The dialogue is well written in quick fire noir speak, the best of which comes from Magellan who is calmness personified and Katherine who is bitingly bitter. There's a disappointment that we are sadly denied effective chiaroscuro, for the story demands it, more so when things go belly up and the world closes in on Lupo and Magellan's surrogate father/son relationship. Come the last quarter the pic really hits its flm noir straps, where joyously it doesn't let us down. We are not fed improbables or lightweight fare, we get pure blackheart noirville, something which elevates a decent film into being a very good one. Family strife and conflicted matters of the heart blend with corruption and organised crime, all crammed into an hour and half of film making. Lovely. 7.5/10

Production companies