excellent twentiethcentury fox filmnoir metropolis labyrinth despair scavengers predators survive living one another brooding cityscapes lower puny humanity bleak expressionist symbolismbr br a prostitute purse snatched subway contains microfilm communist spy ring go lengths recover it two parallel investigations unfold spies cops hunt precious informationbr br antihero pickpocket skip mccoy played scornful assurance richard widmark knows cops moral equals intellectual inferiors taunts them go on says captain dan tiger murvyn vye drum charge throw in done before pitiless world cops one gang streets candy hooker bribes lightning louie get lead police busy paying stool pigeons informationbr br it hard believe widmark made film already early middle age yearold star coming end contract fox plays upstart skip mccoy irreverent brashness teenager today may acceptable romantic lead punch love interest unconsciousness revive sloshing beer face mores period signified toughness  candy all fallen womanbr br jean peters radiant candy here right middle fiveyear burst bmovie fame beautiful engaging whore golden heart storys victim martyr beauty much anything else means well constantly manipulated cynical men  joey skip copsbr br the real star movie new york haunting urban panoramas snidering subway stations offer claustrophobic evocation city living malevolent force like maggots rotting cheese human figures scurry citys byways elevators subway turnstiles sidewalks  even dumb waiter act conduits flow corrupt humanity people cling niche affords safety moe grimy rented room skip tenebrous shack hudson river characters move interact framed bridge architecture lattices girders divided hanging winch tackle personality city constantly imposing itself angles crossbeams wharf timbers echo gridiron street plan cardindex cabinets squadroom mimic manhattan skyline joeys exit subway barred steel sinews city ensnaring himbr br a surprising proportion film shot extreme closeup character drives plot should closeups used augment character skip interrogates candy closeup captures sexual energy them belying hostility skips words jean peters beauty painted light exquisite soft focus closeups device also employed heighten tension opening sequence purse snatch contains dialogue drama relies entirely closeup powerful effectbr br snoopers snoopers upon snoopers populate film moe thelma ritter makes living informant place hierarchy accepted even victims skip observes shes gotta eat chanting recurring refrain straight new yorkers peddle lamb chops lumber underworld traffics commodity informationbr br and yet even stool pigeons superior joey communist friends joeys feet moes bed symbolise transgression basic moral code joey beyond pale moe trade joey even preserve life   even crummy business gotta draw line somewherebr br pickup made depths cold war richard nixon chosen republican vicepresidential candidate made name phoney alger hiss expose  bogus communist microfilm all mccarthy show trials daily reality see cops movie inveigh the traitors gave stalin abombbr br new york seen giant receptacle human offal cheats squeals murders containers form leitmotif throughout film moe carries trade mark box ties candys purse container microfilm engine plot skip keeps possessions submerged crate symbolising secretive streetwisdom paupers coffins moving hudson barge containers one cargo shifted around pitiless metropolisbr br the film masterpiece composition candy shown skulking skip rickety gangway shack signifying moral ascendancy gun placed table extreme perspective makes look bigger candy  violence beginning dwarf compassion lovers eclipsed shadow stevedores hook reminding us love neither pure absolute contingent upon whims sinister city enyard communist shadow wall disembodied puff cigarette smoke like lone alley cat amongst garbage  predatory phantom night camera shots taxi hoods inside newspaper kiosks bars hospital beds constantly reinforce us awareness trapped metropolis civilisations mulch