I’ve had this on my list for a while so it’s quite a coincidence to watch an episode of The Americans reference a film by Jules Dassin. As mentioned in that episode, he was an American director who was forced into exile in Europe due to being a supporter of Communism. Hence this is a British film and it was disliked at the time for how cynical it is. It has been reevaluated as one of the great film noirs and I do love how it has nothing to do with jaded detectives or damsels in distress.

Harry Fabian is a streetsmart hustler who is well known in the London underworld. Though he is proficient at his job as a tout to bring business to a nightclub, he never stops dreaming of striking it rich with schemes that inevitably fail. His girlfriend Mary begs him to settle down to an honest vocation but even she is too wise to get involved in his schemes. His latest one is to host wrestling matches. Ordinarily this would make an enemy out of the mobster Kristo who controls all such matches but he befriends Kristo’s father Gregorious who has denounced his son’s events as unfaithful to the sport’s traditions origins. He raises some startup money for this venture by his helping the wife of his boss in a scheme of her own to break free of her husband. Through his wits and an ever growing web of lies, Harry keeps the many plates spinning in the air as long as he can, reasoning that he only needs one win to earn all the money back.

Dassin isn’t as well known as the other great directors of the era but it seems to me that he has been underrated. This black and white film for example features shots that look similar to those in the work of Orson Welles while his cast of malevolent characters are worthy of Hitchcock. The sense of place is fantastic, especially with the large crowds of extras on the streets of London and during the wrestling matches. This is just such a well made film on every level, the pacing, the dialogue, the psychology of its characters, that I find myself instantly attracted. It’s true that there is no one single aspect that makes it stand out but I really like films that get all the basics right like this.

Then there is the fact that in a story like this, instead of rooting for the hero to win, you are anticipating for Harry to finally get his deserved comeuppance. There are plenty of films about criminals getting their just desserts of course but those usually feature violent thugs. Personal I find this story of a lowly grifter coming to a bad end more satisfying as that is a character archetype that we are more likely to actually be familiar with in our lives. It’s not all good though as I find the subplot involving Harry’s boss Phil and his wife moves a little too quickly and isn’t all that believable.

Overall verdict, not special enough to warrant being a truly outstanding film but so well made and balanced that it makes for a highly entertaining watch.