Overview
A detective's moral compass is tested as he navigates love and crime in a gritty urban landscape.
Ember's analysis
- Pacing
- Brisk
- Intensity
- Strong
- Complexity
- Layered
- Violence
- Moderate
- brooding
- tense
- morally claustrophobic
- classic noir night
- crime thriller marathon
What critics said
Critics broadly praised the film as a taut, swiftly paced noir crime melodrama driven by sharp dialogue, suspense, Otto Preminger's direction, and Dana Andrews's performance, while some questioned its plausibility.
What sets it apart
May contain story progression spoilers
Mark Dixon is a police detective who brutalizes suspects, accidentally kills a man, and attempts to manipulate the investigation.
The New York City police stations, taxis, gambling rooms, and streets bind Dixon's investigation to a dense criminal environment.
After committing a terrible deed, Dixon works to conceal it and steer blame toward Tommy Scalise.
Otto Preminger's New York City crime melodrama emphasizes hard-edged locations, shadowy urban tension, and restrained postwar realism.
Films like Where the Sidewalk Ends, and why
Kiss of Death
shared film noir atmosphere, morally compromised police protagonist, urban crime investigation, and fatal cover-up
The Naked City
shared New York noir setting, police corruption, hard-edged crime melodrama, and psychological tension
Cry of the City
shared morally ambiguous detective, bleak urban crime world, taut suspense, and fatalistic noir tone
Laura
shared noir investigation, compromised authority figures, sharp dialogue, and escalating criminal entanglement
Movie Details
- Director
- Otto Preminger
- Release Date
- 1950-07-07
- Runtime
- 95 min
- Rating
- 7.2 / 10 (213)
Cast
- Dana Andrews
- Gene Tierney
- Bert Freed
- Gary Merrill
- Karl Malden
- Tom Tully
- Ruth Donnelly
- Craig Stevens
- Fred Aldrich
- Tom Coleman
Where to watch in United States
- Streaming
- fuboTV, YouTube TV, FlixFling
- Rent
- FlixFling
- Buy
- FlixFling
Streaming options come from TMDB and change over time.
Common questions
- What is Where the Sidewalk Ends about?
- A brutal New York detective battles his own guilt when a criminal investigation becomes a desperate attempt to hide his culpability.
- What is Where the Sidewalk Ends like to watch?
- Ember's analysis rates the pacing of Where the Sidewalk Ends as brisk, its intensity as strong and its storytelling as layered.
- Is Where the Sidewalk Ends violent?
- Somewhat. Ember rates the violence in Where the Sidewalk Ends as moderate.
- What did critics think of Where the Sidewalk Ends?
- Critics broadly praised the film as a taut, swiftly paced noir crime melodrama driven by sharp dialogue, suspense, Otto Preminger's direction, and Dana Andrews's performance, while some questioned its plausibility.
- Which films are like Where the Sidewalk Ends?
- Films with a similar feel include Kiss of Death, The Naked City, Cry of the City, and Laura.
- How long is Where the Sidewalk Ends?
- Where the Sidewalk Ends runs 95 minutes.
- Where can I watch Where the Sidewalk Ends?
- In United States, Where the Sidewalk Ends streams on fuboTV, YouTube TV, FlixFling.
