happytrigger-64-390517 I am a great lover of Phil Karlson's movies, always a lot of tension, tough fights, and he often studies corruption in USA (remember the true story in "the Phenix City Story"). "99 River Street" is certainly one of his best movies thanks to a tense script with lot of twists. The casting is fabulous : John Payne is tougher than ever. There are some sex scenes quite unusual. I really don't understand why there isn't any book on Phil Karlson, he is one of the true masters of B movies.

Aaron Igay This film has the familiar noir story of a framed man who needs to clear his name, but since the framed man in question is an ex-boxer you get the bonus of a few bloody fist fights peppered through the story. When the lead says the line, "I'm only barred in New York, there are still 47 other states where I can fight!" it took me a few seconds to realize his math wasn't off as a result of getting hit in the head a few too many times. There are lots of other great lines in this one and Frank Faylen who plays Ernie the friendly taxi driver in 'It's a Wonderful Life" apparently couldn't shake the typecasting as he plays Stan the friendly taxi dispatcher in this raw noir.

MartinHafer In the 1930s and 40s, John Payne played a handsome but relatively bland guy in many top films. He was eye candy and mostly played supporting characters. However, in 1950's Payne was no longer the handsome matinée idol and instead often took parts in tough westerns or film noir (such as "Kansas City Confidential"--as well as "99 River Street".Payne plays a washed up boxer who is married to a cheating no-good tramp. She loved him well enough when he was on top in the fight game but now that he's no longer able to box, she is stepping out on him with a crook. He offers more excitement and all the fancy stuff that Payne cannot afford. Payne discovers them and storms off. In the meantime, the boyfriend and Payne's wife walk into a bad deal and Payne is set up with a very, very unfunny practical joke. Considering that following these events Payne is very publicly angry, he is the most likely suspect when his wife is killed--especially since the killer made sure to make it look like Payne's doing. So, it's up to Payne and a lady friend to clear himself and find the real killer before the cops find him. The only problem is that there are some REALLY dangerous characters out to kill the killer--and anyone else that gets in their way.This is a very tough film--and one that is perfect for Payne's new image. The boxing scenes were brutal(with lots of atypical 1950s blood), the dialog snappy and the plot quite engaging. I also appreciated the wonderful vamp scene that Evelyn Keyes did near the end--you gotta see this one! An excellent noir thriller--and highly recommended.

blanche-2 John Payne and Evelyn Keyes head for "99 River Street" in this film noir directed by Phil Karlson, and a very good one it is. Payne plays Ernie Driscoll, a washed up fighter who now drives a cab and has to take insults from his pretty, actress wannabe wife Pauline (Peggy Castle) who coulda been a contender if she hadn't married him. It turns out that she has a crooked boyfriend, Victor Rawlins (Brad Dexter) who is planning to get $50,000 from some diamonds and run away with her. When the fence refuses to deal with Rawlins because there's a woman with him, Rawlins kills Pauline and puts her body in Ernie's cab! Ernie's got to clear himself, and a friend at the cab company (Frank Faylen) and an aspiring actress friend (Evelyn Keyes) are there to help.There are a very neat twists in this very atmospheric, gritty noir, which doesn't hold back on the violence. John Payne obviously loved this genre, or else he wanted to work against his clean-cut leading man image of the '40s. Here he looks like a fighter who's taken a lot of punches, and he does a great job as a basically good guy who's been dealt some bad cards and is angry about it. You're really pulling for him. Evelyn Keyes is wonderful as his friend, and her seduction act in a bar is one of the best scenes in the film. Frank Faylen, of course, is always likable - this is about six years before he became Dobie Gillis' father. Brad Dexter is excellent as a ruthless gangster.Recommended, particularly if you like the genre.