User reviews

"Party Girl" is a rarely seen movie directed by Nicholas Ray. This 1958 picture mixes styles, and at times, it achieves an originality that only a director like Mr. Ray could give any movie he directed. Basically, we are given a situation in which a lawyer who defends the criminal element is caught in the way he must deal with a situation where he has to turn against his loyalty to his mobster employer because, at last, he sees the light and the consequence of his actions.

Robert Taylor plays the lawyer, Tommy Farrell. This was his last film that marks the end of his long and successful association with MGM. Robert Taylor makes an appealing Farrell, and even though one realizes he is defending people that are at the margin of the law, his character shows redeeming qualities that make him merit our sympathy. The actor is perfect in the role.

Cyd Charisse playing a dramatic role is a surprise. In fact, she was always seen in musical roles because of her talent as a dancer. In the film she plays a chorus girl that suddenly is elevated to a starring role in front of her former colleagues because of the influence Tommy Farrell had in those circles. Ms. Charisse holds her own against an accomplished actor like Mr. Taylor. This is one of her best opportunities in the movies.

Lee J. Cobb is seen as the criminal boss Rico, who has a tremendous power over Tommy Farrell. Mr. Cobb shows he could do anything in movies as well as on the stage. John Ireland plays the evil Louis Canetto.

This is a film that fans of the work of Nicholas Ray shouldn't miss.

This movie makes more sense if you watch the documentary MGM: When the Lion Roars, about the history of MGM. According to the documentary, 1936-1946 was MGM's Golden Era. However, after the war, tastes in film changed, but MGM refused to change with the times or the tastes of post-war America. By the 1950's MGM was a Lion in Winter. Thus this rather split personality film begins to make sense from the context of its manufacturer. It can't decide what kind of film it wants to be, going back and forth between the big musical spectacles that MGM was famous for since the dawn of sound, to hard-hitting gangster characters and antics in the Warner Brothers tradition, to social commentary on the plight of the disabled in modern times and a beauty and the beast romance. If you know the chaos into which MGM is plunged by 1958, this enables you just to sit back and enjoy the film, which does have a great deal to offer.

The movie is badly mislabeled, since it really is not that centered on party girls at all. Instead it is basically a prohibition era romance between a beautiful showgirl played by Cyd Charisse and a lame mob lawyer played by Robert Taylor. Already dumped by one glamor girl who just wanted his money but was repulsed by his misshaped body, Taylor's character is understandably reluctant to get involved again. However, soon the pair are in love and Taylor's character gains the confidence to want to stop being the mob's mouthpiece. However, leaving the mob is not such a quick and clean business, whether you are an attorney or just a muscle man.

Taylor gives a very good performance in this one, and Lee J. Cobb's performance as a mobster looks like it was the inspiration for Robert De Niro's portrayal of Al Capone in 1987's The Untouchables, in at least one scene anyways. This one is definitely worth your time if it comes your way.

Most any film directed by Nicholas Ray is usually worth watching, and "Party Girl's" no exception. Ray took here what might have been a quite routine movie under another director and turned it into something quite interesting.

He extracted an unusually strong performance from Robert Taylor, who celebrated his final MGM film here, and drew equally effective work from Cyd Charisse, who also demonstrated her formidable dancing skills.

Then there was that burly "brute" Lee J. Cobb doing his no-nonsense "gangster thing," which always rang true. Yes, "Party Girl" had lots of bite.

A bit of age comparisons are interesting here. Would you believe the actors playing the "handsome leading man" and "sinister character villain" were both born the same year? It was 1911 when Taylor and (gulp) Cobb entered this world. Adding to the mix, Ray was also born the same year, making for a perfect triumvirate. (Trivia note: Taylor and Ray both expired of the same terminal illness.)

Charisse showed what a 37-year-old-dancer-in-shape can do. Dig those mobile movements: cool hip action, fast torso turns, strenuous leg extensions and fantastic full-bodied falls. Cyd seemed one of the last holdouts as the film musical glory days "bit the dust."

The post-Lewis B. Mayer period allowed for more violence than ever before at MGM, and "Party Girl" had its abundant supply in the final gangland sequences.

"Party girl" is a peculiar movie, starting with its title. In fact, the title recalls a light comedy in the style of the 1930/1940s. On the contrary, we deal with a drama/gangster-story of rare toughness (for the standards of the 1950s). The violence of some scenes is really scary. We recognize the hand of director Nicholas Ray. We even have an excellent action sequence which anticipates a famous sequence of "The Godfather". The story is interesting, the cinematography is good and accurate.

Unfortunately, this is an unbalanced movie. Vicky, very well played by beautiful Cyd Charisse, is a rather innovative character. But her dance numbers, so patently instrumental to show Cyd's legendary legs and phenomenal dancing skills, are just stuck to the film. A thorough and interesting psychological study of Thomas Farrell (Robert Taylor) is made. But the film is nearly marred by a huge flaw. The badly crippled Farrell has a miracle-surgery in Europe (?) and returns perfectly healed! (alas! that's not yet possible in the 2000s, let alone in the 1930s). And then the formerly crooked corrupt lawyer Farrell turns into the noblest possible person. Come on! At any rate, Taylor gives one of the best performance of his career. John Ireland is a great thug. Lee J. Cobb (as usual looking twenty years older than his actual age) makes an outstanding job as the suave, cruel gangster Rico. The action scenes, though well-filmed, are too scarce for a gangster movie. Besides the magical surgery, other twists of the plot are unlikely.

You see, "Party girl" has remarkable merits and flaws, as well. All in all, not a bad movie.

Crippled Lawyer Thomas Farrell (Robert Taylor) has made a career defending crooks in trials, so much so he's now the front line defender for the Chicago mob. But into his life comes dancer Vicki Gayle (Cyd Charisse), who as he starts to fall in love with her, makes him see that his life is worth so much more than that. However, mob king Rico Angelo (Lee J. Cobb) is keen to retain Farrell's services, at any price it seems.

There's no getting away from it, Party Girl (a euphemism for a prostitute) features a very standard formulaic plot. It's also a very misleading title in that it doesn't scream out this is a crime picture. Directed by Nicholas Ray for MGM (his last for one of the big hitting studios), it's adapted by George Wells from a story by Leo Katcher. Supporting the three principal actors are John Ireland & Kent Smith. Robert J. Bronner (Jailhouse Rock) provides photography and the film is a CinemaScope/Metrocolor production.

Set as it is in prohibition Chicago, it allows Ray to rise above the simple formula and blend his knack for visual touches with interesting characterisations. If we really are going to cement this in the film noir genre? Then it's more down to the director than anything in the story. Yes there's themes such as alienation, vulnerability and the core essence potential for tragi-love-born out of two characters stuck in differing forms of prostitution. But the script is so weak it needed Ray to put an almost surreal sheen over it. There's exotic dancing featuring prominently, some what a given with the weak Charisse starring (in fairness to her it's one hell of a cliché riddled role), but again Ray crafts in such a way it doesn't let the film feel too sprightly. Which is something that this lush production is in danger of being at times. Yet line those dance numbers alongside scenes such as a portrait of Jean Harlow being shot to pieces, or of Charisse being questioned by a policeman's Silhouette - and you get an oddity. And a very enjoyable one at that.

This was Taylor's last contract film for MGM, and fittingly it's one of his very best performances. Again one tends to think this is probably down to Ray's coaxing, but regardless, Taylor plays Farrell with vulnerable elegance and a steely eyed determination that carries Charisse along with him. Thus the romance is believable, and yes, engaging. Cobb does another in his long line of larger than life characters. Chewing the scenery as much as his Rico character chews on his cigars. While Ireland is a by the numbers thug for hire and Kent Smith a talking prop. There's a fleeting performance from Corey Allen as baby faced psychopath Cookie La Motte, a character that the film could have definitely done with more of. Here's the main problem with Party Girl, it's just not edgy or dangerous enough. Which in a film involving gangsters, murders and crooked court cases, is an issue is it not? But thanks to Ray and Taylor the film overcomes the many flaws to wind up being a very enjoyable crime-love story based picture. Film noir though? Well that's debatable really. But lets not get into that... 7/10

This is a late 50's gangsters movie in the line of the classical film "noires" of the 40's. The remarkable aspect here is that "Party Girl" is perhaps one of the most colorful movies ever made in the genre and perhaps out of it too. Right from the start and as a background for the titles there's an all color dancing sequence and from them on color is all around including bright red dresses Cyd Charisse wears throughout the entire film.

But beautiful color aside, Nicholas Ray ("King of Kings", "55 Days in Peking") delivers an interesting and entertaining gangsters movie about a crippled "Mafia" lawyer (Robert Taylor) -a sort of predecessor of "The Godfather"'s Tom Hagen- gets involved with a cabaret dancer (Cyd Charisse) and they try to start a new life together far from the man's dangerous clients; but the big man (Lee J. Cobb) is not willing to set Taylor free because he is a genius in his work that can keep him away from the electric chair and also because the lawyer "knows too much".

There's a fine performance by Taylor as the bitter-ed attorney and also by beautiful and "classy" Charisse who also has the chance of exhibiting her undeniable dancing skills (and her famous legs too). Cobb is perfect in a role with no secrets for him pretty much like the one he played before in the classic "On the Waterfront" and a year later in "The Trap". John Ireland and Kent Smith complete the main cast.

Though not perhaps a great film -not much action sequences for the genre- "Party Girl" stands as a good one in its line worth watching no doubt.

Interesting movie. Very interesting, though the title is inexcuseably misleading. Nicholas Ray directs and, not surprisingly, makes novel use of shadows, bold colors and wild camera angles. There is a bravura montage of an explosion of mob violence which is sudden and startling. Ray, best known as the director of "Rebel Without a Cause", takes a smart, tough script and; unlike many crime movies which contain similar ingredients but fail to resonate, gives the movie a soul. There's something about its tone and feel, some simmering menace and creeping regret that reminds one of another mob movie which would be released 15 years later: "The Godfather". And as in that classic, the Lawyer/Mob Boss relationship is complex and fascinating.

While much of the credit deservedly goes to Ray's maverick methods and genius, the cast is also very good. Robert Taylor never developed the kind of easily identifiable screen persona of a Bogart or Jimmy Stewart, but he was a sturdy leading man who usually served the material and could be depended upon to anchor a film. He pours his heart into this part, his last as an MGM contract player. Cyd Charisse was never known as a great actress but she is capable in her role as a feisty Show Girl, and she gets a good opportunity to show off perhaps the most eye-popping, perfectly sculpted figure in the history of motion pictures. And of course, nobody was better at playing hot-tempered thugs than the great Lee J. Cobb.

Turner Classic Movies is such a goldmine. It's so satisfying to see movies, such as this one, that know how to introduce plot points and convincingly tie them up and bring things full circle. "Party Girl" may not be quite a great film, but it is very, very good.

I wasn't surprised to read that director Nicholas Ray was allowed little creative control of "Party Girl." His sensibilities peek through here and there, but it's more of a MGM film than Nicholas Ray's. The movie is set in the 1930s, but it looks like the 1950s. It's been called a film noir, but it looks like a musical-a musical with no music, though leading lady Cyd Charisse (the titular party girl Vicki) gets a couple dance numbers. A large portion of the movie bogs down on Charisse's relationship with a reluctant mob lawyer (Robert Taylor), at which point "Party Girl" turns into a romantic melodrama. Then in the final act it once again becomes a crime film.

"Party Girl" is fairly gripping when it focuses on its seedier elements - some of the violence is startlingly bloody for its day - but it's hampered by the tonal shifts. The script, as other reviewers have pointed out, has more than a few ludicrous moments, like a "miracle" surgery and some unrealistic beliefs about how the justice system operates. The acting is fairly solid, especially by Taylor and Lee J. Cobb, as mob boss Rico Angelo. John Ireland and Corey Allen also make strong impressions in their roles as sleazy, hot-tempered hoods. For me, the weakest performance is from Charisse. She's beautiful and she's got the legs, but I found her performance a little stilted (according to a review by critic Glenn Erickson, Charisse resisted being directed by Ray). I kept thinking if you dropped the dancing, Ida Lupino or Ray's ex Gloria Grahame would've been more interesting choices for the role of Vicki (though understandably there are reasons why Grahame would never be hired). All and all, "Party Girl" is notable for some effective scenes and performances, but it's one of Nicholas Ray's lesser films.

It's interesting that Robert Taylor's last film under his long MGM contract ended so well with this tough little movie. While "Party Girl" is filmed in color and lacks the gritty dark look and unusual film angles of film noir, it is a nice near-noir film. Taylor plays an attorney with no soul. He has spent his career working for the mob and doesn't mind working for scum--as it pays very well! However, when Taylor meets a dancing girl who turns out to be quite decent (Cyd Charisse), his amoral attitude is shaken and he wants to leave his lucrative practice and do something decent with his life.

What makes this film is the excellent supporting cast working with Taylor (who, by the way, is quite good here). Lee J. Cobb is wonderful as the Al Capone-like mob boss and his henchmen (John Ireland, David Opatashu and Corey Allen) are all exceptional actors. Together, combined with a wonderful script and exceptional direction, it makes for a very good film indeed. Tough, cynical and a quality production throughout, this is a great swansong to his MGM career. The only deficits are the dancing numbers by Charisse and a mistake in the final scene where acid pours on Cobb's face but he's not the least bit burned. The dancing just wasn't necessary and tended to disrupt the dark tone of the film.

By the way, if you like this film, try also watching John Garfield in "Force of Evil". Its plot is very similar and is also an exceptional film.

Not to be confused w/the Parker Posey starrer from the 90's, this rare color noir from the 50's shot in widescreen & directed by Nicholas Ray concerns a mob lawyer finding love & vowing to try one more case & then head for the hills but his boss comes in the guise of Lee J. Cobb, who definitely won't take 'no' for an answer. With a rare dramatic turn by Cyd Charisse (she does dance here but there's definitely some meat on the bone part-wise) the tale has its share of crosses & double crosses but it really is entertaining as heck w/a great star turn by Robert Taylor who's all control & menace. Worth a look!

Of course we have all seen this type of story line a few times, especially if you enjoy the film 'noire of the 1940s and 1950s era. What sets this crime/film 'noire/romance apart from others is the first class performances of the four main characters. The gorgeous gams of professional dancer Cyd Charisse are on full display in her role as Vicki Gaye and she is the love interest of the smartest criminal defence attorney Thomas Farrell played to perfection by Robert Taylor who unfortunately died in the prime of his life and in his career as a first rate Hollywood star.

Thomas Farrel is the lead counsel for mob boss Rico Angelo played by Academy Award best actor nominee Lee J. Cobb who rules his crime empire and the streets below him by fear of death or serious injury to anyone who would even consider double crossing him. Now lawyer Thomas Farrell does have a close working relationship with the mob boss Rico Angelo who pays him top dollar for keeping him and his cronies out of jail even when they are up on murder charges. Such is the case with Louis Canetto played by John Ireland who is charged with murder but gets off due to the masterful defence strategy used by his lawyer, Thomas Farrel.

Louis Canetto has his eyes set on the pretty party girl Vicki Gaye but so does defence lead counsel Thomas Farrel. It does not take the gorgeous Cyd Charisse who plays Vicki Gaye long to assess that she will have a much more loving relationship with lawyer Thomas Farrel than she would with the mob underling Louis Canetto.

So you can see that this film 'noire has the typical seedy criminal element who require a smart lawyer to continuously defend them, and it has the party girl turned love interest of the brilliant lawyer who is used by the mob boss to get what he wants out of his top notch lawyer Thomas Farrell. Where I see this film excels and where other similar pictures of the era falter is with the high caliber acting of these four main characters such that the film has ended when the audience wants to see more.

I give the film a pretty good 7 out of 10 rating.

Party Girl is one of those films that can satisfy either the veteran film-goer (who may remember it or its era) or the specialist (who watches a film with a critical eye towards its particular qualities.) Fans of director Nicholas Ray or of stars Robert Taylor or Cyd Charisse (in one of her few dramatic roles, she acquits herself well) will enjoy the fine, well-crafted performances and the superb finish to the pacing of scenes and the cinematography. The film also has a certain heft due to the presence of Lee J Cobb as Rico, the gangster 'heavy,' although Taylor's skill in portraying the heavy's 'consigliaro' Tommy Farrell should be noted as well, avoiding as it does both cliché and bathos. It is a fine performance indeed, in a film marked by good, if not outstanding performances all around. There is as well a compelling understatement to Ray's directing that highlights both the strengths and (unfortunately) the weaknesses of a fairly less-than-original script -- the most glaring weakness being the way shyster lawyer Taylor readily submits to arrest and threat of imprisonment for having been associated with one of Cobb's henchmen, as though lawyer-client privilege were unknown to the state's attorney, a bit preposterous considering that Cobb's character Rico is wanted for the murder of the henchman anyway. The script thus plays to a perceived need to provide conflict outside that which already exists between Rico and Farrell, missing the opportunity to give some dimension to Rico's one-sided gangster. Some may find the surgery Taylor's character undergoes to restore a shattered hip a bit hard to believe, but in fact the description given the surgery, and the length of time required for the hip to heal, are in line with hip restoration surgery of the film's era (set in the 1930's.) And Taylor's character does not return from his stay in Europe miraculously healed; he still leans on his cane, but is less dependent on it. In fact Taylor does a very good job of being more married to the cane than to his on-screen wife (who makes only one thankless appearance) and of losing the cane gradually, and regaining the strength to walk without it, as he gains momentum against Rico and towards Cyd Charisse's character (dancer vs. near cripple; dancer drops dancing career and goes with near cripple, who gradually regains the strength to walk -- a nice metaphor for the growth of a relationship, filmed without melodrama.) The so-called 'happy' ending is certainly less than story-book, but probably will not satisfy a generation raised (reduced?) on Kill Bill Vols. 1 and 2 and three rather sickening 'Godfather' films. In fact, it is rather gratifying to see middle-aged Taylor (and near middle-aged Charisse) successfully build their relationship out of mutual trust. Both still have their looks, but both are mature enough not to be self-conscious about them -- a refreshing change from a youth-obsessed post 9/11 culture.

Quite possibly Nicholas Ray's most visually eloquent film, the poorly- named Party Girl focuses not on the Cyd Charisse titular character but her romantic interest, mob lawyer Tom Farrell, played with great intensity and dedication by Robert Taylor.

Charisse is even more luminous than usual thanks in part to the mesmerizing lighting and camera work utilized by Ray in two major dance numbers obviously included to showcase MGM's most talented dancer. However, Ray was also able to elicit a rather touching albeit somewhat unrealistic performance from Charisse in playing a lonely showgirl drawn to Taylor's disfigured lawyer trapped in the world of defending known criminals.

Such a story had been done before many different ways, yet under Ray's direction the film achieves a certain sense of nobility and appreciation. It is not flashy, but not boring either. It is, as much of Ray's work was at the time, workman-like and beautifully crafted. Compared to much of the other features released at the time, Ray's films stand out today as rising above the material he was given to work with.

"Party Girl" is a B film in A wrapping paper - even the title suggests a tawdry B picture. But it's in color and stars Robert Taylor, Cyd Charisse, Lee J. Cobb, and John Ireland. Taylor plays an attorney whose hip was damaged in a boyhood accident. He's become a powerful mob mouthpiece when he falls in love with a showgirl (Charisse). When he wants out of the mob life, he finds that the mobster (Cobb) is unwilling to let him go.

Directed by Nicholas Ray, the film flirts more with film noir than B status and has some excellent performances, particularly by Taylor and Lee J. Cobb. Cobb is quite terrifying as a violent thug who doesn't telegraph his violence, making him all the more frightening - you just never know what he's going to do. And the violence doesn't leave much to the imagination.

Taylor does a terrific job as an attorney who all his life has believed he's nothing but a cripple, an outsider, and has given up on having any kind of a personal life. He tells Charisse the story of how his hip came to be damaged in his youth and talks about it being a mark of bravery - until he was older and the other guys were getting the dates. I really can't see any woman looking at Robert Taylor being deterred by a limp - or anything else - but perhaps this is more a statement about the power of a negative self image and how it allowed him to be ridiculed by his wife.

Charisse is very good and has two great dance numbers that show off her great talent, gorgeous figure, and those to-die-for legs.

The script has some huge problems. The story is preposterous, the Swedish surgery being one aspect that defies reality. The other is the DA expecting a lawyer to breach attorney-client privilege. Also, the film is set in the '30s but some of it has a '50s aura to it - I blame the color more than anything else.

"Party Girl" is still worth seeing. It's a Nicholas Ray film, it's Taylor's last MGM film as a contract player, and he turns in a wonderful performance.

Tommy Farrell is a leading criminal lawyer in Prohibition-era Chicago who specialises in defending gangsters. He has a particularly close relationship with leading Mafia boss Rico Angelo, loosely based on Al Capone. Farrell's practice is a lucrative one, but when he falls in love with Vicki Gaye, a beautiful showgirl, he tries to cut his ties to organised crime. Angelo, however, is not a man to take "no" for an answer, and Farrell quickly realises that by leaving the racket he could be placing both Vicki and himself in danger.

That sounds like the plot of a standard film noir. "Party Girl", however, does not really fit into that category. For a start it was filmed in colour, which makes it unusual among fifties crime dramas and rules it out from being considered as film noir. The use of low-key black-and-white photography is generally regarded as an essential noir characteristic, and director Nicholas Ray had earlier made a number of successful films of this type, most notably "In a Lonely Place", but in the later part of his career he became known for his skillful use of colour in films like "Johnny Guitar". Vicki's profession is used as an excuse to introduce extended dance sequences of a type not normally associated with serious crime drama and more reminiscent of scenes from musicals such as "Singin' in the Rain" or "Silk Stockings", both of which also starred Cyd Charisse. Even the title "Party Girl" seems more suited to a comedy than to a serious drama.

As a crime drama the film is nothing out of the ordinary, certainly not in the same class as "In a Lonely Place" or Ray's great melodrama, "Rebel without a Cause". Lee J. Cobb as Angelo makes an effective villain, as he normally did, but Robert Taylor is rather staid as Farrell. As for Charisse, although she was one of the most beautiful actresses in the Hollywood of the 1950s, few people would have regarded her as one of the most talented, and she doesn't do a lot here to contradict that opinion. Except, of course, in dance sequences, where she gets the chance to show yet again that although her acting skills may have been limited, there were few leading ladies of the period who could dance so well or who could look so sexy while doing so.

It is, in fact, these scenes which make "Party Girl" still watchable today; they were not only those superbly choreographed but also superbly photographed, allowing Ray to make good use of his gift for colour. He is generally associated with serious films, but on the evidence of this one he could perhaps also have had a career as the director of more light-hearted fare. 6/10

The last film noir I saw was "Party Girl" (1958), directed by Nicholas Ray and stars Robert Taylor, Cyd Charisse and Lee J. Cobb.

The screenplay (by George Wells) is hardly anything unusual: Lawyer Thomas Farrell (Taylor) has made a career of defending gangsters and crooks in trials. But when he meets showgirl Vicki Gaye (Charisse) at a mob party held by racketeer Rico Angelo (Cobb) that he starts to come out of his shell. Farrell tries to quit, but Rico, whose partner is going to be indicted and needs Farrell more than ever, threatens to hurt Gaye badly if he quits.

The rather passé script, however, is enlivened to tremendous effect, not just by Jeff Alexander's lush, Jazzy score, and Robert J. Bronner's vibrant cinematography, but cult director Nicholas Ray brings a measured grace to the proceedings that really lifts the motion picture out of the ordinary. Robert Taylor is very good as the lawyer but Lee J. Cob, as a Capone like mobster chews up every scene he's in with vigour. Although Chaisse hasn't much to do and John Ireland is slightly two dimensional, this is a classy, exciting film noir deserves to be ranked among Ray's best.

I was expecting something with Cyd Charisse to be a bit lighter. You know, the typical dance thing. But it's a surprisingly serious and well-acted.

Of course, you get to see Cyd do a couple of her numbers, and she's well... Very attractive doing it. Robert Taylor's great, so are the others. A lot, and I mean a lot more enjoyable than I was expecting.

Good stuff.

Party Girl starts out in a Chicago club sometime after the repeal of prohibition, with a big dance number. It looks as if it might be primarily a musical in luscious color, but the club is owned by a crime boss (Lee J Cobb), and one of the dancers (Cyd Charisse) gets involved with the lawyer (Robert Taylor) who is the legal mastermind behind the organization. Already a lieutenant is the part played by John Ireland, and later there is a merger with another organization led by youthful and psychotic Corey Allen. The wardrobe department really came through amidst an ultra-rich decor. Yet in the midst of all this splendor a fairly intriguing drama is more or less intelligently played out. Taylor, who walks with a cane, maybe has never been better, as he tries to get out of the mob, but has ties from his youth with Cobb. John Ireland stands out as well, but just about the entire cast is excellent.

The setting is supposed to be Chicago during the early 1930s, but the scenario is pure late '50s Hollywood, in widescreen Metrocolor with young Marlon Brando look-alikes stepping out to some splashy stage numbers not far removed from 'West Side Story'. Robert Taylor plays an urbane lawyer forced to defend unscrupulous mobster Lee J. Cobb, and Cyd Charisse is the nightclub dancer of the film's title, a truly tough cookie who, unfortunately, crumbles all too quickly and mends her wicked ways after falling in love with the benevolent attorney. The romantic subplot is strictly by the (melodramatic) numbers, but the Windy City crime angle is never less than entertaining, in particular during the long, climactic shoot-out, with Taylor and Cobb wrestling over a deadly vial of hydrochloric acid.

The first third of this classic-era film was pretty good. Robert Taylor does an effective job of playing a lawyer for the mob. Some think Taylor was too much of a "pretty boy" but I thought he always was good as a tough guy (i.e. "Bataan," "Johnny Eager," etc.). Besides, he was past 45 years of age when he made this.

The story loses its edge when "Tommy Ferrell" (Taylor) falls for dancer "Vicki Gaye" (Cyd Charisse) and the film turns into a love story. It tries to recapture its spark with a few gangster/action scenes later but it is too little0too late and the story really never recovered. Having Cyd dance a few numbers is one example of why this film lost its gangster feel. I have no complaints looking at this woman and her great legs, but something is not right here. I hate to say this but the story needed more action scenes and less of our girl Cyd, less melodrama.

Speaking of "looks," this movie was shot in 2.35:1 widescreen and is still available in that format. I saw it on the formatted-to-TV style of the VHS and I am sure this would be much more watchable in its original ratio. With the cinematography and wide-angle shots, this is crying out for a DVD release, even if the story is disappointing. I blame that on the overly melodramatic script, not the performances of Charisse or Taylor, or Lee J. Cobb, who plays his normal thug role, and does it well.