''Port of New York'' is a 1949 American film noir/crime film directed by

László Benedek László Benedek (; March 5, 1905 – March 11, 1992; sometimes ''Laslo Benedek'') was a Hungarian-born film director and cinematographer, most notable for directing '' The Wild One'' (1953). He gained recognition for his direction of the film v ...

with cinematography by George E. Diskant and shot in

semidocumentary A semidocumentary is a form of book, film, or television program presenting a fictional story that incorporates many factual details or actual events, or which is presented in a manner similar to a documentary. Characteristics Stylistically, it ...

style. The film is notable for being

Yul Brynner Yuliy Borisovich Briner (russian: link=no, Юлий Борисович Бринер; July 11, 1920 – October 10, 1985), known professionally as Yul Brynner, was a Russian-born actor. He was best known for his portrayal of King Mongkut in th ...

's first film appearance. The film, which is very similar to ''

T-Men ''T-Men'' is a 1947 semidocumentary and police procedural style film noir about United States Treasury agents. The film was directed by Anthony Mann and shot by noted noir cameraman John Alton. The production features Dennis O'Keefe, Mary Mea ...

'' (1947), was shot on location in New York City..

Plot

Narrator

Chet Huntley Chet is a masculine given name, often a nickname for Chester, which means ''fortress'' or ''camp''. It is an uncommon name of English origin, and originated as a surname to identify people from the city of Chester, England. Chet was ranked 1,027t ...

introduces two federal agents, Mickey Waters of the U.S. Customs Service and Jim Flannery of the

Federal Bureau of Narcotics The Federal Bureau of Narcotics (FBN) was an agency of the United States Department of the Treasury, established in the Department of the Treasury by an act of June 14, 1930, consolidating the functions of the Federal Narcotics Control Board a ...

. They are out to stop the distribution of an opium shipment stolen from the S.S. Florentine in the Port of New York. The leader of the thieves is the suave drug dealer Paul Vicola (Brynner). The ship’s

purser A purser is the person on a ship principally responsible for the handling of money on board. On modern merchant ships, the purser is the officer responsible for all administration (including the ship's cargo and passenger manifests) and supply. ...

was murdered in the heist. Toni Cardell was a passenger on the ship and girlfriend of Vicola. She played a part in the smuggling, is upset about the murder, and wants out. When Vicola refuses to stake her for a new life elsewhere, Toni calls the police to become an informant. She has a rendezvous on a subway platform with Flannery to plan another meeting, but Vicola garrotes her before she can complete her plans. She had a train reservation, so police search all the lockers at

Penn Station Pennsylvania Station is a name applied by the Pennsylvania Railroad to several of its grand passenger terminals. Pennsylvania Station or Penn Station may also refer to Current train stations * Baltimore Penn Station * Pennsylvania Station (Cinc ...

and find a parcel of opium. They stake out the locker and follow the pick-up man to a nightclub. He is comic Dolly Carney, who discloses under police pressure his contact, Leo Stasser, at the North River Yacht marina. Carney's friend, a dancer at the nightclub named Lili Long, observed his arrest by Waters and Flannery, and, on a tip from the nightclub owner, goes to Vicola for help. The agents stake out Stasser at his harbor marina. Waters slips in under cover of working on a boat there. That night, they search Stasser's office and find he has all the lab supplies ready to

cut Cut may refer to: Common uses * The act of cutting, the separation of an object into two through acutely-directed force ** A type of wound ** Cut (archaeology), a hole dug in the past ** Cut (clothing), the style or shape of a garment ** Cut (ea ...

the "junk." Flannery also finds a message from a G.W. Wyley about the drug deal. Stasser and his men return and find Waters, but Flannery escapes. The next day Waters’ body is found floating in the bay. Stasser bails Carney out of jail, then throws him out the window of his high-rise apartment. En route to New York to complete the drug deal, Wyley is arrested during a layover at the airport in Chicago. Impersonating him, Flannery arrives at La Guardia as scheduled. As the deal proceeds on Vicola's yacht, Lili Long comes to him to find out why Carney would have killed himself. She exposes Flannery as a cop, and a shootout ensues. The yacht flees, it is pursued by the Coast Guard, and Vicola and his gang are apprehended.

Cast

Reception

Critical response

In 1998 the film critic of ''The Austin Chronicle'' offered a mixed review, stating: In 2007 Oszus film critic Dennis Schwartz also gave the film a mixed review, writing:

References

External links

* * * *
''Port of New York''
informational site and DVD review at DVD Beaver (includes images) * {{DEFAULTSORT:Port Of New York 1949 films 1949 crime films American black-and-white films Film noir Films about the illegal drug trade Films directed by László Benedek Films set in New York City Films shot in New York City Eagle-Lion Films films Films scored by Sol Kaplan American crime films Films about opium 1940s English-language films 1940s American films