Dark City (1950)

36% of users liked it
(78 ratings)

Though he had previously appeared in David Bradley's film adaptation of Julius Caesar, Dark City marked Charlton Heston's first role in a major Hollywood production. Danny (Heston) and his pals Augie (Jack Webb), Soldier (Henry Morgan), and Barney (Ed Begley Sr.) set up a poker game to take Arthur… More Though he had previously appeared in David Bradley's film adaptation of Julius Caesar, Dark City marked Charlton Heston's first role in a major Hollywood production. Danny (Heston) and his pals Augie (Jack Webb), Soldier (Henry Morgan), and Barney (Ed Begley Sr.) set up a poker game to take Arthur Winant (Don DeFore) for all his money, but after the fact they discover that the money he lost wasn't really his and, in desperation, Arthur killed himself. Arthur's brother Sidney (Mike Mazurki), a large man not known for his emotional stability, becomes enraged when he learns the facts about Arthur's death, and he vows to kill the men responsible. When his friends start dropping like flies, Danny hides out with his girlfriend, nightclub singer Fran Garland (Lizabeth Scott), and pays a visit to Arthur's widow Victoria (Viveca Lindfors) in hopes of finding out who the killer might be. Jack Webb and Henry Morgan later reformed after their first appearance together as criminals when they co-starred in the TV show Dragnet. ~ Mark Deming, Rovi

Rating, Runtime: Unrated, 1 hr. 28 min.
Directed By: William Dieterle
Genres: Drama, Mystery & Suspense, Classics

In Theaters: Oct 17, 1950 Wide
On DVD: Jul 27, 2010

Critic Reviews

Sean Axmaker, Seanax.com
... an unambitious but handsome production from reliable studio hand William Dieterle.
Dennis Schwartz, Ozus' World Movie Reviews
The dark mood is set by Victor Milner's excellent B&W photography.

Critic ratings and reviews powered by RottenTomatoes.com

Fresh (60% or more critics rated the movie positively)

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Featured Audience Ratings

jay n

Good solid noir with competent performances although Lizabeth Scott has been better elsewhere but that can be somewhat attributed to the fact that her character is such a doormat. A nice dark attitude permeates the film which is essential to any quality noir. Heston's part is… More
Good solid noir with competent performances although Lizabeth Scott has been better elsewhere but that can be somewhat attributed to the fact that her character is such a doormat. A nice dark attitude permeates the film which is essential to any quality noir. Heston's part is more ambiguously shaded than many of his later roles where he often had a tendency to play self righteous blowhards or iconic figures.
Brett W

Plot cul de sac: the movie! Watch as a mysterious, faceless killer stalks people while they casually try to find out who he is (and generally mill around for an hour and a half). Also be sure to check out Lizabeth's Scott's performance as the extraordinary needy female… More
Plot cul de sac: the movie! Watch as a mysterious, faceless killer stalks people while they casually try to find out who he is (and generally mill around for an hour and a half). Also be sure to check out Lizabeth's Scott's performance as the extraordinary needy female lead. There are no lengths that she will not go to to proves how needy she is. "Love me, Danny, please, oh Danny, why don't you love me? Am I crowding you, Danny?"

Cast

            Charlton Heston as Danny Haley

            Lizabeth Scott as Fran Garland

            Viveca Lindfors as Victoria Winant

            Dean Jagger as Capt. Garvey

            Don DeFore as Arthur Winant

            Jack Webb as Augie

            Ed Begley Sr. as Barney

            Henry Morgan as Soldier

            Walter Sande as Swede

            Mike Mazurki as Sidney Winant

            Fred Aldrich as Civilian detective

            Walter Burke as Bartender

            Robin Camp as Boy

            William J. Cartledge as Bellhop

            Sally Corner as Woman

            Mike Pat Donovan as Sergeant

            Byron Foulger as Motel Manager

            Greta Granstedt as Margie

            Stan Johnson as Room clerk

            Mark Kenning as Billy Winant

            Mike Mahoney as Cashier

            Jay Morley as Capt. MacDonald

            Ralph Peters as Proprietor

            Dewey Robinson as Gambler

            Franz Roehn as Photographer

            Jeffrey Sayre as Gambler

            Billy Sheehan as Gambler

            Otto Waldis as Benowski

            Stanley Prager as Sammy

            James Dundee as Detective

            John Bishop as Fielding
See full cast