Overview
A gripping exploration of crime and morality set against the backdrop of post-war New York City.
Ember's analysis
- Pacing
- Brisk
- Intensity
- Moderate
- Complexity
- Easy to follow
- Violence
- Mild
- gritty
- observational
- tense
- classic noir night
- crime movie marathon
What critics said
Critics broadly value the film's authentic New York location photography, visual scale, and energetic chase climax, while finding its mystery writing and melodrama uneven.
What sets it apart
May contain story progression spoilers
The film was shot entirely on location in New York City, including the climactic Williamsburg Bridge pursuit.
Muldoon and Halloran follow links between Jean Dexter's murder, apartment burglaries, and the elusive Willie.
The semi-documentary portrait of New York and its people grounds the murder mystery in everyday city environments.
Suspicion spreads among characters connected to apartment burglaries and the murdered model's social circle.
Films like The Naked City, and why
The House on 92nd Street
location shooting, police procedural investigation, and semi-documentary realism
Call Northside 777
film noir crime investigation shaped by authentic urban locations and documentary-style observation
He Walked by Night
hard-edged metropolitan police procedural with a rapid manhunt climax
The Naked City
black-and-white urban crime drama combining social realism with noir suspense
Movie Details
- Director
- Jules Dassin
- Release Date
- 1948-03-04
- Runtime
- 96 min
- Rating
- 7.2 / 10 (293)
Cast
- Barry Fitzgerald
- Howard Duff
- Dorothy Hart
- Don Taylor
- Frank Conroy
- Ted de Corsia
- House Jameson
- Anne Sargent
- Adelaide Klein
- Grover Burgess
Where to watch in United States
- Streaming
- HBO Max Amazon Channel, Criterion Channel, HBO Max, Artiflix
- Rent
- Amazon Video, Apple TV Store, Fandango At Home
- Buy
- Amazon Video, Apple TV Store, Fandango At Home
Streaming options come from TMDB and change over time.
Common questions
- What is The Naked City about?
- A location-shot New York murder investigation turns a seemingly private crime into a frantic portrait of the city's interconnected underworld.
- What is The Naked City like to watch?
- Ember's analysis rates the pacing of The Naked City as brisk, its intensity as moderate and its storytelling as easy to follow.
- Is The Naked City violent?
- Only mildly. Ember rates the violence in The Naked City as mild.
- What did critics think of The Naked City?
- Critics broadly value the film's authentic New York location photography, visual scale, and energetic chase climax, while finding its mystery writing and melodrama uneven.
- Which films are like The Naked City?
- Films with a similar feel include The House on 92nd Street, Call Northside 777, He Walked by Night, and The Naked City.
- How long is The Naked City?
- The Naked City runs 96 minutes.
- Where can I watch The Naked City?
- In United States, The Naked City streams on HBO Max Amazon Channel, Criterion Channel, HBO Max, Artiflix.
