Film
What's on at the cinema plus reviews of the latest movie and DVD releases
Bookmark this pageLa Città si Difende (1951)
Director: Pietro Germi
Movie review
From Time Out Film Guide
Four men steal the takings from a football stadium. They split up, and homegrown neo-realism is crossed with Hollywood-style noir, as one by one they try and fail to break out of the big, unforgiving city. Germi is so determined to forge ahead from one set-piece to the next that his gallery of femmes fatales, predatory underworld figures and grim-faced police barely register as characters, except via little cameos (a cop's look of distaste as he picks up a discarded bra). Visually exciting, but superficial; few will be able to resist mentally replacing the cast with more familiar Hollywood analogues - the Burt Lancaster dumb ox, the Sal Mineo weakling, etc.Author: BBa
Cast & crew
Director: Pietro Germi
Producer: Carlo Civallero
Cast: Renato Baldini, Fausto Tozzi, Paul Müller, Enzo Maggio, Gina Lollobrigida, Tamara Lees full cast
Genre(s): Film Noir
Duration: 85 mins
Most popular on this site
Top Stories
Kings of Comedy?
As Russell Crowe prepares a Bill Hicks biopic, we ask which Hollywood bigshots could play comedians
Juliette Binoche: interview
The great French actress Juliette Binoche discusses film and painting with Dave Calhoun
An A-Z of classic movie cameos
As Tom Cruise makes a 'surprise' appearance in 'Tropic Thunder', Time Out presents our rundown of classic cameos
The Coens' 'Burn after Reading': review
Pitt and Clooney star in the Coen brothers' latest, 'Burn After Reading', which opened the 2008 Venice film festival
Guy Ritchie on ‘RocknRolla’
Wally Hammond talks to Guy Ritchie about his latest film, ‘RocknRolla’ which sees him safely back in his old manor among the familiar carnival of villains, scams and high-octane spills and thrills
Saul Dibb on ‘The Duchess’
Dave Calhoun discovers from director Saul Dibb that his latest, 'The Duchess’ is far from your typical aristos-in-love movie
What do you think?
Post your review now