Richard Widmark gives a powerful performance in this underrated film that strays outside of the usual Hollywood formulas. Gene Tierney also stars in this grim tale of a con man who bites off more than he can chew. The unusual setting is London, and the unusual plot concerns pro wrestling versus real wrestling. As most people in the business know, phony wrestling is far more entertaining and profitable than real Greco-Roman wrestling. How many people even watch real Greco-Roman wrestling at the Olympics? One or two thousand at the most. But fake wrestling like the WWF and other cartoonish platforms run by very clever promoters can draw crowds a hundred time bigger and more profitable than that. Herbert Lom is chilling in his portrayal of the son of a classic wrestler (played well by Stanislaus Zbyszko). He runs the wrestling business in London. London is an unusual setting for what is primarily an American cast, but it works, nevertheless. Poor Harry Fabian; we know where he is headed almost right from the getgo of the film. Catch this one; it is very well done.
Review of Night and the City
