Side Street

Naive postman Joe Norson (Farley Granger) takes a dangerous shortcut to securing a nest egg for his pregnant wife (Cathy O'Donnell) - stealing thirty grand from the office of a shady shyster. When Joe tries to give himself up he only gets in deeper, careening for his life through the treacherous streets of Manhattan, pursued by cops and crooks at every deadly turn. Boehm's script is a much more noir version of Naked City, and Anthony Mann pulls out all the stops, directing this headlong thriller with incredible punch, abetted by Joe Ruttenberg's stunning cinematography (with an opening sequence shot from a blimp over Manhattan). A top-tier noir, featuring favorites Jean Hagen, Paul Kelly, James Craig and Charles McGraw.