Cheap Where the Sidewalk Ends (DVD) (Otto Preminger) Price

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Customer Reviews of Where the Sidewalk Ends

It's OK but it's not a classic noir!!!!
I could not resist the Dana Andrews, Gene Tierney, Otto Preminger combination of this movie as I'm still faint from my encounter with "Laura". But similarly to "Laura" this movie is not a classic Noir. The nihilistic "bad cop" curiously depicted by the unremonstrative Dana Andrews gets redeemed and does the right thing! Since when do noirs have noble anti-heroes who sacrifice themselves for the love of an unbelievable milquetoast like the lovely Gene? There is no femme fatale, no dragging down of our antihero into the muck and mire of despair. There is a moody black and white movie with in interesting story of deceit and the depths of a bad man's black soul but the classic elements of Postwar USA gone bad are not there. Subtly disappointing. <
>If you want to see a great Preminger/Andrews movie look for Fallen Angel. It will be released in March and while the hero again is "saved" by a woman in the end (the Preminger imprimateur?) it is MUCH better than this. Seriously, you guys. If you are swooning over Where the Sidewalk Ends you are going to need your nitroglycerin tablets handy when you watch Fallen Angel". Don't say I didn't warn you.

"I never saw a man as full of hate as you."
Mark Dixon (Dana Andrews) is a cop whose intense hatred of crooks and hoods continuously gets him into trouble with his boss, Inspector Foley (Robert F. Simon). Dixon's violent temper explodes one night when he tracks down a cheap hoodlum suspected of stabbing a guy to death. Not knowing that the hoodlum, Kenneth Paine (Craig Stevens), is a decorated WWII veteran with a silver plate in his head, Dixon punches his too hard, and Kenneth dies. Dixon then comes up with a plan to frame Scalise (Gary Merrill) for the murder. Scalise is the gangster that Dixon has been obsessed with putting behind bars for years, and this presents him with a golden opportunity to nail him, while clearing himself at the same time. <
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>But as usual, the plan falls apart when Dixon gets involved with a beautiful woman, Morgan Taylor (Gene Tierney), who was romantically involved with Kenneth Paine before meeting Dixon. Morgan knows nothing about Kenneth's death until the police arrest her father, Jiggs Taylor (Tom Tully), for the murder. Dixon does his best to clear Jiggs, while falling in love with Morgan at the same time. Dixon finally comes up with a last-ditch plan that will clear Jiggs as well as redeem himself for his past crimes. However, when Scalise figures out just how determined Dixon is to trap him, he realizes that Dixon is a cop worth avoiding. It's up to Dixon to try to trap Scalise and his gang before they can flee the country. <
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>"Where the Sidewalk Ends" is one of the great "bad cop" noirs, and is one of Dana Andrews best roles. Gene Tierney's amazing beauty is the main attraction, though. I love those close-ups of her face! Add to these two great stars a wonderful supporting cast: Gary Merrill, Tom Tully, Karl Malden, Ruth Donnelly, Craig Stevens, and, one of the great "heavies" of film noir, Neville Brand, in one of his earliest roles. The DVD transfer is superb, plus the audio commentary by film noir author/historian Eddie Muller is very humorous, informative, and entertaining (he avoids the b.s. analyzing and just tells it like it is!). There's also a photo gallery and theatrical trailers for this movie and others in the Fox Film Noir series. This movie is another gem from director Otto Preminger, a great director of film noir ("Laura", "Fallen Angel", "Angel Face", etc.). If you love classic film noir, you'll definitely want to add this awesome DVD to your collection.