You won't be disappointed!

Absolutely Fantastic

I enjoyed watching this film and would recommend other to give it a try , (as I am) but this movie, although enjoyable to watch due to the better than average acting fails to add anything new to its storyline that is all too familiar to these types of movies.

Story: It's very simple but honestly that is fine.

Call Northside 777 (1948), directed by Henry Hathaway, with James Stewart, Richard Conte and Lee J. Cobb as the stars (although all are outshone by Kasia Orzazweski in the first and most impressive of eight movie appearances), is an unusual film noir in that the lead character in this true-life reconstruction of crime and imprisonment is neither the alleged criminal nor the investigator but the killer's mother, who is handed the script's best lines and its most powerful scenes.The sequence in which out-for-a-story-and-nothing-else reporter James Stewart (who has previously raised her hopes) callously turns down the mother's pleas for help, is one of the most unforgettable moments in the whole history of world cinema.Brilliantly directed by Henry Hathaway, Call Northside 777 is one of those rare movies that really pack a punch.

Call Northside 777 is one of those movies that probably created a bit of a row when it was released in the cinemas of Chicago in 1948. It's the type of movie those old enough to remember the 40's and lived in the City with big shoulders would no doubt look upon fondly like many who remember the 80's look at Ferris Bueller's Day Off (1986). It was, after all, the first movie to be shot on location in Chicago and features the iconic Merchandise Mart along the river as well as interiors of the Chicago Times building. As an adopted son of the Windy City, I found the city added a certain je ne sais quoi; a feeling that I can't quite describe yet brought depth to the story.It does help that the story begins with a brief historical narration; first of the Great Chicago Fire of 1871, then Chicago's most dangerous period, prohibition. Thus the plot unravels within that context. A speakeasy owned by a Polish immigrant (Garde) is robbed at gunpoint by two masked men. In the chaos a police officer is killed and days later, two men are arrested claiming innocence. One of them, Frank Wiecek (Conte) cannot recall his whereabouts on the day of the shooting and is sentenced to 99 years in prison. Ten years have passed before reporter P.J. McNeal (Stewart) is assigned to investigate the case further. The reason for the investigation; in desperation Wiecek's mother (Orzazewski) placed an ad for a $5,000 reward for information on the case. She saved that money by scrubbing floors. McNeal is at first reluctant but as he digs deeper he realizes a major injustice has indeed occurred.While categorized as a film noir by some, Call Northside 777 is much less stylized, approaching the subject with the earthy realism of a docudrama. It's a gamble to be sure considering on-location shooting and deconstructed noirs were a new popular innovation. Jules Dassin would use a similar technique in The Naked City (1948) later that year transplanting Chicago with New York City. Hitchcock would then master this delicate balance between realism and true-crime with The Wrong Man (1956) which is a masters course in art imitating true life.Call Northside 777 Is not an absolute masterpiece but it is a superb little gem about intrepid news reporting. James Stewart has always been a reliable source of trustworthiness, idealism and grit thus his character is perfectly on point. The real show-stopper however is Lee J. Cobb whose blustering Chicago Times editor Brian Kelly (based on real editor Karin Walsh) is the balance between practical and cynical that we need to keep the story from falling into abject moral-ism. He's much more subtle then in 12 Angry Men (1957); I'd say Call Northside 777 is edged out only by On the Waterfront (1954) as his best performance.While a little dated, Call Northside 777 is nevertheless an interesting film worthy of a watch or re-watch if you're so inclined. It features a strong true-to-life story about a man falsely convicted of murder and a reporter willing to stake his reputation on the man's innocence. Furthermore it is a story of a city that can be as cruel as it is mighty and majestic. For me, it was a reminder on how much things can change given time; One minute there's a speakeasy on Ashland Ave. the next there's an American Apparel. Or to put it in more salient terms; one minute you're proved guilty, the next you're given a second chance.

The decades of '40 and '50 (actually, the middles of these decades, 1945- 1955) was the golden age of film noir. During that period, Hollywood gave us a series of movies that was dark, disturbing and atmospheric. "Call Northside 777" is, simply, one the finest noir ever made. The lightning, the acting, the script and the story are superb, all in a movie that grows up in suspense and drama as long as the minutes go on. This is not among the most famous films noir of the golden age, but sure is one of the greatest!!!!! An obscure gem that deserves be watching several times. James Stewart is GREAT, as always, and Henry Hathaway does a good job in direction, with his solid and classic way of work. Don't miss it.

Released in 1948 - This intense, well-scripted Crime/Drama, starring James Stewart and Richard Conte, was greatly enhanced by excellent location shooting in and around Chicago.Apparently based on actual events, this b&w gem from the glorious 40s was partially shot in a semi-documentary format.Call Northside 777 tells the in-depth tale of hard-nosed news-reporter, P.J. McNeal, at the Chicago Times, who eventually proves that a man who was sentenced to life in prison for shooting down a police officer 11 years earlier was wrongly convicted.As the evidence of this man's innocence begins to slowly take shape, McNeal's skepticism soon turns around as he finds himself going well out of his way in search for justice for this man.This first-rate motion picture was directed by Henry Hathaway whose other notable films include - The Dark Corner, Niagara, and True Grit.