Forties Gangster Films
by karljhickey14 | created - 05 Sep 2018 | updated - 09 Mar 2022 | Public- Instant Watch Options
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1. Black Friday (1940)
Approved | 70 min | Crime, Drama, Film-Noir
Dr. Sovac transplants the brain of a gangster into his professor friend's body to save his life, but there is a side effect that causes a dangerous split personality.
Director: Arthur Lubin | Stars: Boris Karloff, Bela Lugosi, Stanley Ridges, Anne Nagel
Votes: 2,877
2. Brother Orchid (1940)
Passed | 88 min | Comedy, Crime, Drama
When retired racket boss John Sarto tries to reclaim his place and former friends try to kill him, he finds solace in a monastery and reinvents himself as a pious monk.
Director: Lloyd Bacon | Stars: Edward G. Robinson, Humphrey Bogart, Ann Sothern, Donald Crisp
Votes: 3,170
3. City for Conquest (1940)
Passed | 104 min | Drama, Sport
Danny is a content truck driver, but his girl Peggy shows potential as a dancer and hopes he too can show ambition. Danny acquiesces and pursues boxing to please her, but the two begin to spend more time working than time together.
Directors: Anatole Litvak, Jean Negulesco | Stars: James Cagney, Ann Sheridan, Arthur Kennedy, Donald Crisp
Votes: 2,709
4. City of Chance (1940)
56 min | Comedy, Crime, Drama
Texas girl (Bari) goes to New York, becomes a newspaper reporter, and tries to get her gambler boyfriend (Woods) to come home.
Director: Ricardo Cortez | Stars: Lynn Bari, C. Aubrey Smith, Donald Woods, Amanda Duff
Votes: 82
5. The Earl of Chicago (1940)
Approved | 87 min | Action, Comedy, Crime
Silky has always moved booze. During prohibition, he smuggled it from Canada, but now that it is legal, he produces his own brand. Seven years before, he sent Doc to prison because Doc was ... See full summary »
Directors: Richard Thorpe, Victor Saville | Stars: Robert Montgomery, Edward Arnold, Reginald Owen, Edmund Gwenn
Votes: 408
6. It All Came True (1940)
Approved | 97 min | Comedy, Crime, Drama
After crooked nightclub owner Chips Maguire murders a police informant, he blackmails his piano player to allow him to stay at his eccentric mother's boarding house.
Director: Lewis Seiler | Stars: Ann Sheridan, Humphrey Bogart, Jeffrey Lynn, Zasu Pitts
Votes: 1,467
7. Johnny Apollo (1940)
Approved | 94 min | Crime, Drama, Film-Noir
The son of a jailed Wall Street broker turns to crime to pay for his father's release.
Director: Henry Hathaway | Stars: Tyrone Power, Dorothy Lamour, Edward Arnold, Lloyd Nolan
Votes: 1,501
8. Love, Honor and Oh-Baby! (1940)
Passed | 59 min | Comedy, Mystery, Romance
In despair after breaking up with his girlfriend, a man hires a thug he has never seen to kill him. However, he changes his mind when he falls in love with another woman--but he can't stop ... See full summary »
Director: Charles Lamont | Stars: Donald Woods, Kathryn Adams, Wallace Ford, Mona Barrie
Votes: 42
9. The Man Who Talked Too Much (1940)
Passed | 76 min | Drama
Assistant District Attorney Stephen Forbes, an impressive orator with a long list of convictions, resigns when an innocent boy is convicted and the real murderer confesses too late. He ... See full summary »
Director: Vincent Sherman | Stars: George Brent, Virginia Bruce, Brenda Marshall, Richard Barthelmess
Votes: 293
10. Queen of the Mob (1940)
Approved | 61 min | Crime, Drama
Mobster Ma Webster rules her clan with an iron hand, taking charge of all their robberies despite the protests of George Frost, the only member of her gang who is not her son. On Christmas ... See full summary »
Director: James P. Hogan | Stars: Ralph Bellamy, Blanche Yurka, J. Carrol Naish, Jeanne Cagney
Votes: 94
11. Ball of Fire (1941)
Approved | 111 min | Comedy, Romance
A group of professors working on a new encyclopedia while living in a Manhattan mansion take in a mouthy nightclub singer who is wanted by the police to help bring down her mob boss lover.
Director: Howard Hawks | Stars: Gary Cooper, Barbara Stanwyck, Oscar Homolka, Henry Travers
Votes: 14,062
12. Bullets for O'Hara (1941)
Approved | 50 min | Crime, Drama, Romance
A detective (Roger Pryor) courts a gangster's (Anthony Quinn) ex-wife (Joan Perry) to lure him into a trap.
Director: William K. Howard | Stars: Joan Perry, Roger Pryor, Anthony Quinn, Maris Wrixon
Votes: 275
13. Bullet Scars (1942)
Passed | 59 min | Drama
Gangster Frank Dillon abducts Dr. Steven Bishop to treat wounded Joe Madison. Dillon also takes Joe's nurse sister. Dillon threatens Bishop's life if Joe dies, but Bishop knows Dillon will kill him anyway.
Director: D. Ross Lederman | Stars: Regis Toomey, Adele Longmire, Howard Da Silva, Ben Welden
Votes: 248
14. Buy Me That Town (1941)
Approved | 70 min | Comedy, Drama, Mystery
With the gang business washed up, Rickey Deane, suave first lieutenant to racketeer Chink Moran, and Louie Lanzer, a has-been fighter with itchy fingers, decide to take a peaceful vacation ... See full summary »
Director: Eugene Forde | Stars: Lloyd Nolan, Constance Moore, Albert Dekker, Sheldon Leonard
Votes: 75
15. A Man Betrayed (1941)
Passed | 82 min | Comedy, Crime, Drama
A small-town attorney comes to the city to investigate the murder of a friend and falls in love with the daughter of the head of the crime ring he hopes to expose.
Director: John H. Auer | Stars: John Wayne, Frances Dee, Edward Ellis, Wallace Ford
Votes: 625
16. Hit the Road (1941)
Approved | 61 min | Drama
Kids look to get revenge when their fathers are all killed in a mob war.
Director: Joe May | Stars: Gladys George, Barton MacLane, Billy Halop, Huntz Hall
Votes: 64
17. East of the River (1940)
Passed | 74 min | Crime, Drama
Two troublesome boys grow into very different men, one becoming a hoodlum and the other embracing college, but both are in love with the same girl.
Director: Alfred E. Green | Stars: John Garfield, Brenda Marshall, Marjorie Rambeau, George Tobias
Votes: 473
18. High Sierra (1940)
Passed | 100 min | Action, Adventure, Drama
After being released from prison, notorious thief Roy Earle is hired by his old boss to help a group of inexperienced criminals plan and carry out the robbery of a California resort.
Director: Raoul Walsh | Stars: Ida Lupino, Humphrey Bogart, Alan Curtis, Arthur Kennedy
Votes: 19,241
19. Lady Scarface (1941)
Approved | 66 min | Comedy, Crime, Drama
Lieutenant Bill Mason (Dennis O'Keefe) pursues a Chicago gang to New York City, unaware that its scar-cheeked leader, Slade (Dame Judith Anderson), is a woman.
Director: Frank Woodruff | Stars: Dennis O'Keefe, Judith Anderson, Frances E. Neal, Mildred Coles
Votes: 309
20. Mob Town (1941)
Approved | 60 min | Action, Comedy, Crime
A young street kid idolizes his brother, a gangster who was sent to death row for murder. Frank, a local cop, tries to ensure that the boy and his gang don't wind up the same way as his ... See full summary »
Director: William Nigh | Stars: Dick Foran, Anne Gwynne, Billy Halop, Huntz Hall
Votes: 61
21. The Penalty (1941)
Passed | 80 min | Crime, Drama, Mystery
The son of a murderer is entangled in his father's crimes and is sentenced to a rehabilitive farm, where he learns a new way of life.
Director: Harold S. Bucquet | Stars: Edward Arnold, Lionel Barrymore, Marsha Hunt, Robert Sterling
Votes: 232
22. Sealed Lips (1942)
Passed | 62 min | Crime, Drama, Film-Noir
A detective begins to suspect that a man may be in prison for a crime he didn't commit.
Director: George Waggner | Stars: William Gargan, June Clyde, John Litel, Anne Nagel
Votes: 98
23. Strange Alibi (1941)
Passed | 63 min | Crime, Drama, Film-Noir
In a pre-arranged set-up, a cop strikes his police-chief, is fired and infiltrates the mob but when the police-chief is murdered, the ex-cop is unable to prove his innocence and is left-out in the cold, on the wrong side of the law.
Director: D. Ross Lederman | Stars: Arthur Kennedy, Joan Perry, Jonathan Hale, John Ridgely
Votes: 146
24. Tall, Dark and Handsome (1941)
Approved | 78 min | Comedy, Crime
Robin Hoodish gangster in 1929 Chicago is an object of affection, kind to New York hood and bad to a bad crook.
Director: H. Bruce Humberstone | Stars: Cesar Romero, Virginia Gilmore, Milton Berle, Charlotte Greenwood
Votes: 267
25. All Through the Night (1942)
Approved | 107 min | Action, Comedy, Crime
Runyonesque Broadway gamblers turn patriotic when they stumble onto a cell of Nazi saboteurs.
Director: Vincent Sherman | Stars: Humphrey Bogart, Conrad Veidt, Karen Verne, Jane Darwell
Votes: 4,932
26. Baby Face Morgan (1942)
Approved | 63 min | Comedy, Crime, Romance
When gang chief Big Mike Morgan is killed, his lieutenant, "Doc" Rogers re-organizes the mob. Learning that Morgan has a son named Edward , living in the country with his mother, Rogers has... See full summary »
Director: Arthur Dreifuss | Stars: Richard Cromwell, Mary Carlisle, Robert Armstrong, Chick Chandler
Votes: 253
27. The Big Shot (1942)
Approved | 82 min | Crime, Drama, Film-Noir
Fearing life in prison for a fourth offense, convict Duke Berne pulls out of an armored car robbery, planned by his crooked lawyer, but he is framed for the robbery anyway.
Director: Lewis Seiler | Stars: Humphrey Bogart, Irene Manning, Richard Travis, Susan Peters
Votes: 1,340
28. The Boss of Big Town (1942)
Approved | 62 min | Crime, Drama, Mystery
A criminal plot to control produce and dairy products during the wartime emergency is foiled by a courageous undercover city market official.
Director: Arthur Dreifuss | Stars: John Litel, Florence Rice, H.B. Warner, John Miljan
Votes: 116
29. Broadway (1942)
Approved | 91 min | Crime, Drama, Music
George Raft, playing himself, recalls his days on Broadway, where he acquired a reputation as a great dancer--and also one as a brawler, a ladies man and an associate of some of the city's most notorious gangsters.
Director: William A. Seiter | Stars: George Raft, Pat O'Brien, Janet Blair, Broderick Crawford
Votes: 132
30. Dr. Broadway (1942)
Approved | 68 min | Crime, Drama, Mystery
New York City physician, Dr. Timothy Kane, knows Broadway, the Great White Way and all of its characters thoroughly, as does his receptionist, Connie Madigan. A man Kane had sent to prison ... See full summary »
Director: Anthony Mann | Stars: Macdonald Carey, Jean Phillips, J. Carrol Naish, Richard Lane
Votes: 132
31. Eyes of the Underworld (1942)
Approved | 61 min | Crime, Drama, Film-Noir
Blackmail and murder in a tale of an auto-theft ring.
Director: Roy William Neill | Stars: Richard Dix, Wendy Barrie, Lon Chaney Jr., Lloyd Corrigan
Votes: 137
32. Gang Busters (1942)
Approved | 251 min | Drama
Detective lieutenant Bill Bannister is assigned to run down an unknown gang of terrorists who have spread a net of crime over the city.
Directors: Noel M. Smith, Ray Taylor | Stars: Kent Taylor, Irene Hervey, Ralph Morgan, Robert Armstrong
Votes: 130
33. The Glass Key (1942)
Passed | 85 min | Crime, Drama, Film-Noir
A crooked politician finds himself being accused of murder by a gangster from whom he refused help during a re-election campaign.
Director: Stuart Heisler | Stars: Alan Ladd, Veronica Lake, Brian Donlevy, Bonita Granville
Votes: 7,401
34. Johnny Eager (1941)
Passed | 107 min | Crime, Film-Noir, Mystery
The step-daughter of a district attorney falls in love with a gangster on parole who her father originally imprisoned.
Director: Mervyn LeRoy | Stars: Robert Taylor, Lana Turner, Edward Arnold, Van Heflin
Votes: 3,420
35. Lady Gangster (1942)
Passed | 62 min | Crime, Drama, Film-Noir
Acting as a decoy in a bank robbery Dot get arrested. But before going to jail she manages to steal the $40, 000 loot from her accomplices. Her arrest attracts the attention of her former sweetheart Ken who believes her innocent.
Director: Robert Florey | Stars: Faye Emerson, Julie Bishop, Frank Wilcox, Roland Drew
Votes: 785
36. Larceny, Inc (1942)
Passed | 95 min | Comedy
Three ex-cons buy a luggage shop to tunnel into the bank vault next door. But despite all they can do, the shop prospers...
Director: Lloyd Bacon | Stars: Edward G. Robinson, Jane Wyman, Broderick Crawford, Jack Carson
Votes: 3,146
37. Lucky Jordan (1942)
Passed | 84 min | Drama
A New York gangster is unwillingly drafted into the army and deserts but becomes patriotic when he stumbles upon foreign spies bent on stealing American military secrets.
Director: Frank Tuttle | Stars: Alan Ladd, Helen Walker, Sheldon Leonard, Mabel Paige
Votes: 460
38. Seven Miles from Alcatraz (1942)
Passed | 62 min | Action, Drama, Thriller
After Pearl Harbor, convicts at Alcatraz prison live in fear of bomb attacks, driving Champ Larkin and his pal Jimbo to a desperate escape attempt which lands them on a tiny lighthouse ... See full summary »
Director: Edward Dmytryk | Stars: James Craig, Bonita Granville, Frank Jenks, Cliff Edwards
Votes: 325
39. Stasera niente di nuovo (1942)
90 min | Romance, Drama
A singer saves a heavy alcoholic journalist. Fate has a new meeting for them: the two are found in a police station where she was brought with the accusation of prostitution.
Director: Mario Mattoli | Stars: Alida Valli, Carlo Ninchi, Antonio Gandusio, Niní Gordini Cervi
Votes: 32
40. Suspected Person (1942)
78 min | Crime, Drama, Thriller
The mastermind behind money stolen from an American bank takes it to London. He is then pursued by the gangsters he tried to cheat and have convicted Stateside, as well as by the Met Police.
Director: Lawrence Huntington | Stars: Clifford Evans, Patricia Roc, David Farrar, Anne Firth
Votes: 130
41. Gildersleeve's Bad Day (1943)
Approved | 62 min | Comedy
Gildersleeve gets himself into trouble while on jury duty.
Director: Gordon Douglas | Stars: Harold Peary, Jane Darwell, Nancy Gates, Charles Arnt
Votes: 319
42. Grattacieli (1943)
86 min | Drama, Mystery, Thriller
Director: Guglielmo Giannini | Stars: Renato Cialente, Luigi Pavese, Vanna Vanni, Elena Maltzeff
Votes: 17
43. Harlem (1943)
80 min | Crime, Drama, Sport
Tommaso Rossi, a young Italian goes to America to visit his elder brother Amedeo who has a business in the construction industry. He is discovered as a talented boxer after getting into a ... See full summary »
Director: Carmine Gallone | Stars: Massimo Girotti, Amedeo Nazzari, Vivi Gioi, Elisa Cegani
Votes: 33
44. Blues in the Night (1941)
Passed | 88 min | Crime, Drama, Music
"Jigger' Pine forms a band that includes singer Ginger 'Character' Powell, wife of the trumpeter Leo Powell, and Nickie Haroyen and Peppi. All of them dedicate themselves to work as a unit ... See full summary »
Director: Anatole Litvak | Stars: Priscilla Lane, Betty Field, Richard Whorf, Lloyd Nolan
Votes: 1,307
45. Mr. Lucky (1943)
Approved | 100 min | Comedy, Crime, Romance
A gambler has plans to swindle money from a charity program, but starts to have second thoughts when he falls for a rich society girl.
Director: H.C. Potter | Stars: Cary Grant, Laraine Day, Charles Bickford, Gladys Cooper
Votes: 3,539
46. Gangs of the Waterfront (1945)
55 min | Crime, Drama
Gang Leader Dutch Malone goes on a hunting trip and is in a car wreck and is confined to the hospital, without the knowledge of any of his gang members. District Attorney Brady induces ... See full summary »
Director: George Blair | Stars: Robert Armstrong, Stephanie Bachelor, Martin Kosleck, Marion Martin
Votes: 33
47. The Last Ride (1944)
Passed | 57 min | Crime, Drama, Mystery
A police lieutenant sets out to break up a ring of tire bootleggers--criminals who sell defective tires to customers who can't get new ones because of the rubber shortage brought about by ... See full summary »
Director: D. Ross Lederman | Stars: Richard Travis, Charles Lang, Eleanor Parker, Jack La Rue
Votes: 250
48. Roger Touhy, Gangster (1944)
Passed | 65 min | Biography, Crime, Drama
In 1931, Captain Steven Warren, the chief investigator for the Chicago District Attorney's office, tries to arrest the henchmen of notorious gangster and bootlegger Roger Touhy for a series... See full synopsis »
Director: Robert Florey | Stars: Preston Foster, Victor McLaglen, Lois Andrews, Kent Taylor
Votes: 76
49. Crime, Inc. (1945)
Approved | 75 min | Crime, Drama, Film-Noir
A crusading reporter uses his friendship with a mobster to expose the machinations of organized crime in his city.
Director: Lew Landers | Stars: Leo Carrillo, Tom Neal, Martha Tilton, Lionel Atwill
Votes: 192
50. Dillinger (1945)
Passed | 70 min | Biography, Crime, Drama
John Dillinger begins his life of crime as a petty thief, meets his future gang in prison and eventually masterminds a series of daring robberies.
Director: Max Nosseck | Stars: Lawrence Tierney, Edmund Lowe, Anne Jeffreys, Eduardo Ciannelli
Votes: 2,139 | Gross: $4.00M
51. Federal Operator 99 (1945)
Passed | 169 min | Action, Adventure, Crime
Crime lord Jim Belmont escapes FBI custody and begins a reign of thievery that is thwarted at every turn by Jerry Blake, the FBI's Operator 99.
Directors: Spencer Gordon Bennet, Yakima Canutt, Richard Cherwin, Wallace Grissell | Stars: Marten Lamont, Helen Talbot, George J. Lewis, Lorna Gray
Votes: 78
52. Shady Lady (1945)
Approved | 91 min | Comedy, Crime, Romance
A professional gambler is caught cheating and sent to prison. Eventually paroled, he decides to make a fresh start and takes his niece, an aspiring singer, to Chicago. Once there, however, ... See full summary »
Director: George Waggner | Stars: Charles Coburn, Robert Paige, Ginny Simms, Alan Curtis
Votes: 31
53. Angel on My Shoulder (1946)
Approved | 100 min | Adventure, Comedy, Fantasy
The Devil arranges for a deceased gangster to return to Earth as a well-respected judge to make up for his previous life.
Director: Archie Mayo | Stars: Paul Muni, Anne Baxter, Claude Rains, Onslow Stevens
Votes: 3,194
54. Appointment with Crime (1946)
Unrated | 90 min | Crime, Drama
An ex-con, released after imprisonment for a jewel theft, swears vengeance on his former accomplices and devises an intricate plan to steal their fortune.
Director: John Harlow | Stars: William Hartnell, Robert Beatty, Joyce Howard, Raymond Lovell
Votes: 344
55. The Bandit (1946)
83 min | Crime, Drama
A contingent of Italian prisoners of war arrive on a train from Germany after World War II to Turin. The city where Ernesto lives has been bombed, his mother is dead and his sister has gone missing.
Director: Alberto Lattuada | Stars: Anna Magnani, Amedeo Nazzari, Carla Del Poggio, Carlo Campanini
Votes: 489
56. Girl on the Spot (1946)
Approved | 75 min | Crime, Drama, Film-Noir
Eleven Gilbert & Sullivan numbers are melded within the murder-mystery plot of "Girl on the Spot", with a result that either G&S and/or the plot are always seemingly on stage-wait or in the... See full summary »
Director: William Beaudine | Stars: Lois Collier, Jess Barker, George Dolenz, Fuzzy Knight
Votes: 33
57. The Killers (1946)
Passed | 103 min | Crime, Drama, Film-Noir
Hit men kill an unresisting victim, and investigator Reardon uncovers his past involvement with beautiful, deadly Kitty Collins.
Director: Robert Siodmak | Stars: Burt Lancaster, Ava Gardner, Edmond O'Brien, Albert Dekker
Votes: 23,635
58. Strange Journey (1946)
Passed | 65 min | Action, Adventure, Crime
Reformed racketeer "Lucky" Leeds flees from the police when he thinks they are about to arrest him for a murder he didn't commit. He and his wife Patti fly to his privately-owned remote ... See full summary »
Director: James Tinling | Stars: Paul Kelly, Osa Massen, Hillary Brooke, Lee Patrick
Votes: 45
59. Hitler--Dead or Alive (1942)
Passed | 70 min | Adventure, Drama, Thriller
A team of ex-con bounty hunters go to Germany in search of Hitler. If they can find him, a million dollar reward is to be paid to them.
Director: Nick Grinde | Stars: Ward Bond, Dorothy Tree, Warren Hymer, Paul Fix
Votes: 371
60. Body and Soul (1947)
Approved | 104 min | Drama, Film-Noir, Sport
A talented boxer's young career hits difficult terrain when an unethical promoter takes interest in him.
Director: Robert Rossen | Stars: John Garfield, Lilli Palmer, Hazel Brooks, Anne Revere
Votes: 5,368
61. Brighton Rock (1948)
Not Rated | 92 min | Crime, Drama, Film-Noir
In Brighton in 1935, small-time gang leader Pinkie Brown murders a journalist and later desperately tries to cover his tracks but runs into trouble with the police, a few witnesses, and a rival gang.
Director: John Boulting | Stars: Richard Attenborough, Hermione Baddeley, William Hartnell, Harcourt Williams
Votes: 6,823 | Gross: $0.22M
62. Dancing with Crime (1947)
Not Rated | 83 min | Crime, Drama, Film-Noir
A London cab driver gets mixed up with a criminal gang and sets out to expose the group and its leader for what they are.
Director: John Paddy Carstairs | Stars: Richard Attenborough, Barry K. Barnes, Sheila Sim, Garry Marsh
Votes: 485
63. Dead Reckoning (1946)
Passed | 100 min | Crime, Drama, Film-Noir
A soldier runs away rather than receive the Medal of Honor, so his buddy gets permission to investigate, and love and death soon follow.
Director: John Cromwell | Stars: Humphrey Bogart, Lizabeth Scott, Morris Carnovsky, Charles Cane
Votes: 8,730
64. Desperate (1947)
Approved | 73 min | Crime, Film-Noir, Thriller
A young married couple flee both the police and a gangster out for revenge.
Director: Anthony Mann | Stars: Steve Brodie, Audrey Long, Raymond Burr, Douglas Fowley
Votes: 2,614
65. Raw Deal (1948)
Approved | 79 min | Crime, Drama, Film-Noir
Joe Sullivan (Dennis O'Keefe) has taken the rap for Rick (Raymond Burr), who double-crosses him with a flawed escape plan and other means intended to get rid of him.
Director: Anthony Mann | Stars: Dennis O'Keefe, Claire Trevor, Marsha Hunt, John Ireland
Votes: 5,607
66. The Gangster (1947)
Approved | 84 min | Crime, Drama, Film-Noir
Shubunka (Barry Sulivan) is a cynical gangster who controls the Neptune Beach waterfront. He runs a numbers racket with the local soda shop owner. The police are in his pocket and the local hoods are on his payroll.
Director: Gordon Wiles | Stars: Barry Sullivan, Belita, Joan Lorring, Akim Tamiroff
Votes: 1,071
67. Johnny O'Clock (1947)
Passed | 96 min | Crime, Drama, Film-Noir
A high-class crook gets in trouble with the law.
Director: Robert Rossen | Stars: Dick Powell, Evelyn Keyes, Lee J. Cobb, Ellen Drew
Votes: 2,661
68. Killer Dill (1947)
Approved | 75 min | Comedy, Crime
Lingerie salesman Johnny Dill, thought to be a killer gangster, finds himself struck between the forces of good and evil.
Director: Lewis D. Collins | Stars: Stuart Erwin, Anne Gwynne, Frank Albertson, Mike Mazurki
Votes: 176
69. Kiss of Death (1947)
Approved | 99 min | Crime, Drama, Film-Noir
A crook arrested for a jewelry heist initially refuses to give up his accomplices, but he changes his mind once his wife dies under worrying circumstances.
Director: Henry Hathaway | Stars: Victor Mature, Brian Donlevy, Coleen Gray, Richard Widmark
Votes: 9,573
70. Out of the Past (1947)
Approved | 97 min | Crime, Drama, Film-Noir
A private eye escapes his past to run a gas station in a small town, but his past catches up with him. Now he must return to the big city world of danger, corruption, double crosses, and duplicitous dames.
Director: Jacques Tourneur | Stars: Robert Mitchum, Jane Greer, Kirk Douglas, Rhonda Fleming
Votes: 40,932
71. Railroaded! (1947)
Passed | 72 min | Crime, Drama, Film-Noir
A beautician and her crooked boyfriend attempt to rob the bookie operation located in the back room, but when the plan goes wrong, they frame an innocent man.
Director: Anthony Mann | Stars: John Ireland, Sheila Ryan, Hugh Beaumont, Jane Randolph
Votes: 1,806
72. El reino de los gángsters (1948)
122 min | Crime, Thriller, Drama
Director: Juan Orol | Stars: Juan Orol, Rosa Carmina, Manuel Arvide, Lilia Prado
Votes: 7
73. I Became a Criminal (1947)
Approved | 78 min | Crime, Drama, Film-Noir
After WW2, former RAF airman Clem Morgan joins a gang of black-market smugglers-thieves but when a robbery goes wrong, Clem is caught , framed for a policeman's murder, and is sent to prison where he plots his escape and revenge.
Director: Alberto Cavalcanti | Stars: Sally Gray, Trevor Howard, Griffith Jones, Rene Ray
Votes: 1,917
74. Call Northside 777 (1948)
Approved | 112 min | Drama, Film-Noir
Chicago reporter P.J. McNeal re-opens a decade-old murder case.
Director: Henry Hathaway | Stars: James Stewart, Richard Conte, Lee J. Cobb, Helen Walker
Votes: 10,241
75. Force of Evil (1948)
Passed | 79 min | Crime, Drama, Film-Noir
An unethical lawyer who wants to help his older brother becomes a partner with a client in the numbers racket.
Director: Abraham Polonsky | Stars: John Garfield, Thomas Gomez, Beatrice Pearson, Marie Windsor
Votes: 7,670
76. Casbah (1948)
Not Rated | 94 min | Crime, Musical
The life, loves and adventures of a classic Casbah thief.
Director: John Berry | Stars: Yvonne De Carlo, Tony Martin, Peter Lorre, Märta Torén
Votes: 574
77. The Chase (1946)
Approved | 86 min | Crime, Film-Noir, Romance
Chuck Scott gets a job as chauffeur to tough guy Eddie Roman; but Chuck's involvement with Eddie's fearful wife becomes a nightmare.
Director: Arthur Ripley | Stars: Robert Cummings, Michèle Morgan, Steve Cochran, Lloyd Corrigan
Votes: 2,652
78. Cry of the City (1948)
Passed | 95 min | Crime, Drama, Film-Noir
Police Lieut. Candella, longtime friend of the Rome family, walks a tightrope in the case of cop-killer Martin Rome.
Director: Robert Siodmak | Stars: Victor Mature, Richard Conte, Fred Clark, Shelley Winters
Votes: 3,735
79. Good-Time Girl (1948)
Approved | 81 min | Crime, Drama
A young girl from the ghetto gets involved with some criminals. Driving while drunk, she knocks down and kills a Policeman. She runs away with two G. I.s who are also on the run and they start a crime wave.
Director: David MacDonald | Stars: Diana Dors, George Merritt, Flora Robson, Jean Kent
Votes: 460
80. A Gunman Has Escaped (1948)
58 min | Crime, Drama
1948. Drama. Three armed robbers kill a passer-by in a robbery and flee the city. Stars John Harvey, John Fitzgerald, and Robert Cartland. Written by John Gilling.
Director: Richard M. Grey | Stars: John Harvey, John Fitzgerald, Robert Cartland, Ernest Brightmore
Votes: 106
81. In the Name of the Law (1949)
100 min | Crime, Drama
A young, by-the-book judge is appointed to a Sicilian village controlled by corrupt leaders and the Mafia.
Director: Pietro Germi | Stars: Massimo Girotti, Charles Vanel, Jone Salinas, Camillo Mastrocinque
Votes: 712
82. I Walk Alone (1947)
Approved | 97 min | Crime, Drama, Film-Noir
Frankie Madison leaves prison expecting a share from his ex-partner. But Prohibition bootlegging didn't prepare Frankie for Big Business.
Director: Byron Haskin | Stars: Burt Lancaster, Lizabeth Scott, Kirk Douglas, Wendell Corey
Votes: 3,291
83. Key Largo (1948)
Approved | 100 min | Action, Crime, Drama
A man visits his war buddy's family hotel and finds a gangster running things. As a hurricane approaches, the two end up confronting each other.
Director: John Huston | Stars: Humphrey Bogart, Edward G. Robinson, Lauren Bacall, Lionel Barrymore
Votes: 43,985
84. The Naked City (1948)
Not Rated | 96 min | Crime, Drama, Film-Noir
A step-by-step look at a murder investigation on the streets of New York.
Director: Jules Dassin | Stars: Barry Fitzgerald, Howard Duff, Dorothy Hart, Don Taylor
Votes: 15,504
85. No Orchids for Miss Blandish (1948)
Approved | 92 min | Crime, Drama, Film-Noir
John Blandish is worth $100 million. His heiress daughter is soon to be wed to Foster Harvey, who believes she's a cold, unfeeling woman, despite loving her. Her cold emotional state is in ... See full summary »
Director: St. John Legh Clowes | Stars: Jack La Rue, Hugh McDermott, Linden Travers, Walter Crisham
Votes: 760
86. The Silk Noose (1948)
Approved | 72 min | Crime, Drama
In post- WW2 Britain, an American fashion journalist, her ex-army fiancé, and a gang of honest toughs from a local gym attempt to bring black market organized crime to justice.
Director: Edmond T. Gréville | Stars: Carole Landis, Joseph Calleia, Derek Farr, Stanley Holloway
Votes: 405
87. Race Street (1948)
Approved | 79 min | Crime, Drama, Film-Noir
In San Francisco, when a bookie is murdered by a protection racket syndicate, his bookie friend Dan Gannin and police lieutenant Barney Runson investigate.
Director: Edwin L. Marin | Stars: George Raft, William Bendix, Marilyn Maxwell, Frank Faylen
Votes: 706
88. The Street with No Name (1948)
Approved | 91 min | Action, Crime, Drama
A covert FBI agent infiltrates a ruthless gangster mob, but his life is at risk from a mysterious informant who funnels inside information to the hoodlums.
Director: William Keighley | Stars: Mark Stevens, Richard Widmark, Lloyd Nolan, Barbara Lawrence
Votes: 3,339
89. They Live by Night (1948)
Passed | 95 min | Crime, Film-Noir, Romance
An escaped convict injured during a robbery falls in love with the woman who nurses him back to health, but their relationship seems doomed from the beginning.
Director: Nicholas Ray | Stars: Cathy O'Donnell, Farley Granger, Howard Da Silva, Jay C. Flippen
Votes: 9,356
90. Waterfront at Midnight (1948)
63 min | Crime, Drama, Film-Noir
While in pursuit of a dangerous crime boss, a detective unwittingly shoots his own brother, who has fallen into a life of crime.
Director: William Berke | Stars: William Gargan, Mary Beth Hughes, Richard Travis, Richard Crane
Votes: 43
91. Drunken Angel (1948)
Not Rated | 102 min | Crime, Drama, Romance
A drunken doctor with a hot temper and a violence-prone gangster with tuberculosis form a quicksilver bond.
Director: Akira Kurosawa | Stars: Takashi Shimura, Toshirô Mifune, Reizaburô Yamamoto, Michiyo Kogure
Votes: 13,362
92. Stray Dog (1949)
Not Rated | 122 min | Crime, Drama, Film-Noir
During a sweltering summer, a rookie homicide detective tries to track down his stolen Colt pistol.
Director: Akira Kurosawa | Stars: Toshirô Mifune, Takashi Shimura, Keiko Awaji, Eiko Miyoshi
Votes: 18,940
93. Border Incident (1949)
Passed | 94 min | Crime, Drama, Film-Noir
Mexican and American federal agents tackle a vicious gang exploiting illegal farm workers in southern California.
Director: Anthony Mann | Stars: Ricardo Montalban, George Murphy, Howard Da Silva, James Mitchell
Votes: 2,737
94. City Across the River (1949)
Approved | 91 min | Crime, Drama, Film-Noir
The macho head of an urban community center tries to reform juvenile delinquents.
Director: Maxwell Shane | Stars: Stephen McNally, Thelma Ritter, Luis Van Rooten, Jeff Corey
Votes: 463
95. Criss Cross (1949)
Not Rated | 84 min | Crime, Drama, Film-Noir
An armored truck driver and his ex-wife conspire with a gang to have his own truck robbed on the route.
Director: Robert Siodmak | Stars: Burt Lancaster, Yvonne De Carlo, Dan Duryea, Stephen McNally
Votes: 9,601
96. The Dark Past (1948)
Passed | 73 min | Crime, Film-Noir, Thriller
An escaped psychopathic killer who takes the family and neighbors of police psychologist hostage reveals a recurring nightmare to the doctor.
Director: Rudolph Maté | Stars: William Holden, Nina Foch, Lee J. Cobb, Adele Jergens
Votes: 2,145
97. Johnny Allegro (1949)
Approved | 81 min | Crime, Drama, Film-Noir
Treasury Department officials recruit a florist (Raft) to lead them to a wanted criminal (Macready); but once he gets too close, he finds he's the hunted.
Director: Ted Tetzlaff | Stars: George Raft, Nina Foch, George Macready, Will Geer
Votes: 729
98. Johnny Stool Pigeon (1949)
Not Rated | 76 min | Crime, Drama, Film-Noir
US Treasury agent George Morton persuades convicted criminal Johnny Evans to help him destroy a drug smuggling ring in exchange for early parole.
Director: William Castle | Stars: Howard Duff, Shelley Winters, Dan Duryea, Tony Curtis
Votes: 779
99. Knock on Any Door (1949)
Passed | 100 min | Crime, Drama, Film-Noir
An attorney defends a hoodlum of murder, using the oppressiveness of the slums to appeal to the court.
Director: Nicholas Ray | Stars: Humphrey Bogart, John Derek, George Macready, Allene Roberts
Votes: 4,206
100. Port of New York (1949)
Approved | 82 min | Crime, Drama, Film-Noir
Two narcotics agents go after a gang of murderous drug dealers who use ships docking at New York Harbor to smuggle in their contraband.
Director: Laslo Benedek | Stars: Scott Brady, Richard Rober, K.T. Stevens, Yul Brynner
Votes: 1,074
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