History Film / NightAndTheCity

A 1950 FilmNoir directed by Creator/JulesDassin, ''Night and the City'' is a bleak tale of [[AmbitionIsEvil ambition]], [[GreyAndGreyMorality morality]], and sacrifice.

The film's [[VillainProtagonist protagonist]] is Harry Fabien (Creator/RichardWidmark), whose ambition is to control all of professional wrestling in UsefulNotes/{{London}}. His [[LoveMartyr girlfriend]], Mary Bristol (Creator/GeneTierney) is not supportive of his plans, but sticks up for him anyway. Harry works as a con man, tricking men into visiting the [[BadGuyBar Silver Fox Club]], owned by [[FatBastard Phillip Nosseross]] (Francis L. Sullivan) but really run by his wife, [[BehindEveryGreatMan Helen]] (Googie Withers). Harry strikes a deal with Helen: she gives him £200 to obtain her restaurant license, so that she no longer has to serve her husband, and agrees help fund his wrestling plans.

!!Tropes used by the film:

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* {{Plan}}: Raise 400 pounds from Phillip and Helen to fund wrestling business, become partners with a retired wrestler, pit him and his powerful mob boss/wrestling promoter son against each other, make his son's [[TheBrute brute]] fight him, the son would fire said brute for harming his father, ruining his business and allowing him to control the London wrestling network. [[spoiler:The plan backfires when said brute kills the father and the son AND the brute blame him for it, resulting the son putting a hit out on him. Not to mention that Phillip has withdrawn his funds.]]

A 1950 FilmNoir directed by Jules Dassin, ''Night and the City'' is a bleak tale of [[AmbitionIsEvil ambition]], [[GreyAndGreyMorality morality]], and sacrifice.

* TheDogBitesBack: Helen snaps at Molly the nightclubs flower seller for eating inside and leaving crumbs. [[spoiler: When Phil leaves her everything instead of Helen, she rubs in how she has that and Helen has nothing.

A 1950 FilmNoir directed by Jules Dassin, ''Night and the City'' is a bleak tale of [[AmbitionIsEvil ambition]], [[GreyAndGreyMorality morality]] and sacrifice.

The film's [[VillainProtagonist protagonist]] is Harry Fabien (Richard Widmark), whose ambition is to control all of professional wrestling in UsefulNotes/{{London}}. His [[LoveMartyr girlfriend]], Mary Bristol (Creator/GeneTierney) is not supportive of his plans, but sticks up for him anyway. Harry works as a con man, tricking men into visiting the [[BadGuyBar Silver Fox Club]], owned by [[FatBastard Phillip Nosseross]] (Francis L. Sullivan) but really run by his wife, [[BehindEveryGreatMan Helen]] (Googie Withers). Harry strikes a deal with Helen: she gives him £200 to obtain her restaurant license, so that she no longer has to serve her husband, and agrees help fund his wrestling plans.

* ProWrestlingIsReal: Played with. Kristo runs a wrestling promotion that displays the "show-wrestling" that pro wrestling is known for today, while his father Gregorious is trying to start up a wrestling promotion that features real "Greco-Roman" wrestling.

* GoOutWithASmile: Played Straight with [[spoiler:Gregorious]]. [[DownplayedTrope Downplayed]] with [[spoiler:Harry. Who dies screaming, but happily believed that Mary would be taken care of.]]

* FauxAffablyEvil: Harry acts friendly and charming while sweet talking his targets but drops the act and becomes an aggressive JerkAss the moment things don't go his way. Mary, Phillip and Kristo are the only ones who see through it.

* LaserGuidedKarma: [[spoiler:The Strangler is arrested instantly after killing Harry. Its implied that Kristo turned him in for his share in his father's death.]]

* DownerEnding: [[spoiler:Harry dies after making a meaningless sacrifice and the man who ordered his death, Kristo won't get punished.]]

* ShaggyDogStory: [[spoiler:Harry turns himself in to Kristo and is killed by The Strangler so that Mary could get the reward money. She doesn't get anything.]]

* AlasPoorVillain: [[spoiler:Harry goes into a VillainousBSOD after his friend betrays him to Kristo and hides in a boathouse as he waits for Kristo to find and kill him. He makes a speech to an old woman about how stupid he was and how Mary loved him and how he should have been content with his life in the first place. Mary finds him and tries to help, but Harry has given up. In order to give Mary the 1000 pound reward that Kristo has promised, he runs towards Mary, cursing at her and shouting how she's a traitor in front of Kristo. He gets killed and thrown into the ocean, but it's implied that Mary isn't going to get the reward. It's hard not to pity Harry after his pointless sacrifice.]]

* EtTuBrute: [[spoiler:The friend who is hiding Harry from Kristo sells him out to Kristo. Harry quickly realizes this, which sends him over the DespairEventHorizon.]]

One night, Harry meets an old retired Greek wrestler named [[CoolOldGuy Gregorius]] (Stanislaus Zbyszko), and becomes his buisiness partner. Gregorious' son, [[BigBad Kristo]] (Herbert Lom) is aware of Harry's unscrupulous nature and warns his father, who trusts Harry. This disagreement causes a huge rift in the relationship. Because of his own ambition, Harry not only becomes [[ProtagonistJourneyToVillain more and more ruthless]], but also [[DiggingYourselfDeeper makes several enemies]]. Namely a wrestler named [[NamesToRunAwayFromReallyFast The Strangler]] (Mike Mazurki).

* AlasPoorVillain: [[spoiler: Harry goes into a VillainousBSOD after his friend betrays him to Kristo and hides in a boathouse as he waits for Kristo to find and kill him. He makes a speech to an old woman about how stupid he was and how Mary loved him and how he should have been content with his life in the first place. Mary finds him and tries to help, but Harry has given up. In order to give Mary the 1000 pound reward that Kristo has promised, he runs towards Mary, cursing at her and shouting how she's a traitor in front of Kristo. He gets killed and thrown into the ocean, but it's implied that Mary isn't going to get the reward. It's hard not to pity Harry after his pointless sacrifice.]]
* AllForNothing: [[spoiler: Harry's wrestling promotion that he's worked so hard for falls to pieces after the death of Gregorious.]]
** [[spoiler: His HeroicSacrifice is also this.]]

* AntiHero: Harry is a VillainProtagonist until [[spoiler: Kristo puts a hit out on him. In which he becomes a [[NominalHero Type V]] as he at least didn't murder anyone.]]
* AntiVillain: Kristo is a [[WoobieDestroyerOfWorlds Type II]]. He [[spoiler: puts a hit out on Harry and even orders his death at the end of the film, but he is purely motivated by the death of [[EvenEvilHasLovedOnes his father]].]]

* BearHug: [[spoiler: What Gregorious uses to finish and beat The Strangler.]]
* BigBad: [[spoiler: Kristo becomes this after putting a hit out on Harry, kicking off the third act.]]
* BloodKnight: [[DeconstructedTrope Deconstructed]] with Gregorious, who loves wrestling and is very proud of his skill. [[spoiler: It gets him killed when he fights The Strangler and dies because of his aged body.]]
* BondOneLiner: From Gregorious [[spoiler: to Kristo after beating The Strangler: "That's what I do to your clowns."]]
* BreakHerHeartToSaveHer: [[spoiler: Harry gives himself up to Kristo and The Strangler so that Mary could get the reward money. It doesn't work.]]

* CoolOldGuy: Gregorious is a retired wrestler and is still very strong despite being middle-aged/elderly. [[spoiler: He even beats [[NamesToRunAwayFromReallyFast The Strangler]] in a fight, though it costs him his life.]]
* DespairEventHorizon: [[spoiler: Harry slips into a VillainousBSOD after his friend gives him up to Kristo.]]

** DragonWithAnAgenda: But she has no care for her husband and [[spoiler: leaves him as soon as she gets her restaurant license.]]
* DrivenToSuicide: [[spoiler: Phillip shoots himself after Helen leaves him.]]
* EtTuBrute: [[spoiler: The friend who is hiding Harry from Kristo sells him out to Kristo. Harry quickly realizes this, which sends him over the DespairEventHorizon.]]
* EvenEvilHasLovedOnes: [[spoiler: Kristo, a gang boss, is extremely saddened after his father dies and vows revenge on Harry, who indirectly killed him.]]

* GoOutWithASmile: Played Straight with [[spoiler: Gregorious]]. [[DownplayedTrope Downplayed]] with [[spoiler: Harry. Who dies screaming, but happily believed that Mary would be taken care of.]]
* HeelRealization: [[spoiler: While waiting for Kristo to kill him, Harry realizes how obsessed he was and regrets hurting Mary.]]
* HeroicSacrifice: [[spoiler: Harry hands himself over to Kristo so that Mary could get the reward money.]]
* {{Irony}}: [[spoiler: Helen gets her forged license revoked the night her club is about to open.]]
* KarmaHoudini: [[spoiler: Kristo.]]
* LaserGuidedKarma: [[spoiler: The Strangler is arrested instantly after killing Harry. Its implied that Kristo turned him in for his share in his father's death.]]

* MeaningfulName: [[spoiler: The Strangler chokes and kills Harry at the end of the film.]]
* NoHoldsBarredBeatdown: [[spoiler: Gregorious and The Strangler beat the crap out of each other. Gregorious wins, but at the cost of his own life.]]

* {{Plan}}: Raise 400 pounds from Phillip and Helen to fund wrestling business, become partners with a retired wrestler, pit him and his powerful mob boss/wrestling promoter son against each other, make his son's [[TheBrute brute]] fight him, the son would fire said brute for harming his father, ruining his business and allowing him to control the London wrestling network. [[spoiler: The plan backfires when said brute kills the father and the son AND the brute blame him for it, resulting the son putting a hit out on him. Not to mention that Phillip has withdrawn his funds.]]

* ShaggyDogStory: [[spoiler: Harry turns himself in to Kristo and is killed by The Strangler so that Mary could get the reward money. She doesn't get anything.]]

* WrestlerInAllOfUs: [[spoiler: During the fight between Gregorious and The Strangler we are treated to old school wrestling techniques like the BearHug, {{Chokeholds}}, headlocks, neck cranks, armbars, snapmares, a dragon sleeper and a double wristlock aka kimura lock.]]

* ActorAllusion: Stanislaus Zbyszko (real name Stanisław Jan Cyganiewicz) was a Greco-Roman and Catch Wrestling multiple time world champion and his disapproval of wrestling shifting from legitimate sport to an entertainment business was real.

The film's [[VillainProtagonist protagonist]] is Harry Fabien (Richard Widmark), whose ambition is to control all of professional wrestling in {{London}}. His [[LoveMartyr girlfriend]], Mary Bristol (Creator/GeneTierney) is not supportive of his plans, but sticks up for him anyway. Harry works as a con man, tricking men into visiting the [[BadGuyBar Silver Fox Club]], owned by [[FatBastard Phillip Nosseross]] (Francis L. Sullivan) but really run by his wife, [[BehindEveryGreatMan Helen]] (Googie Withers). Harry strikes a deal with Helen: she gives him £200 to obtain her restaurant license, so that she no longer has to serve her husband, and agrees help fund his wrestling plans.

A 1950 FilmNoir directed by Jules Dassin, '''''Night and the City''''' is a bleak tale of [[AmbitionIsEvil ambition]], [[GreyAndGreyMorality morality]] and sacrifice.

* TheWrestlerInAllOfUs: [[spoiler: During the fight between Gregorious and The Strangler we are treated to old school wrestling techniques like the BearHug, {{Chokeholds}}, headlocks, neck cranks, armbars, snapmares, a dragon sleeper and a double wristlock aka kimura lock.]]

* TheWrestlerInAllOfUS: [[spoiler: During the fight between Gregorious and The Strangler we are treated to old school wrestling techniques like the BearHug, {{Chokeholds}}, headlocks, neck cranks, armbars, snapmares, a dragon sleeper and a double wristlock aka kimura lock.]]

* RetiredBadass: Gregorious the Great. Greatest wrestler that ever lived.

* {{Plan}}: Raise 400 pounds from Phillip and Helen to fund wrestling business, become partners with a retired wrestler, pit him and his powerful mob boss/wrestling promoter son against each other, make his son's [[TheBrute brute]]fight him, the son would fire said brute for harming his father, ruining his business and allowing him to control the London wrestling network. [[spoiler: The plan backfires when said brute kills the father and the son AND the brute blame him for it, resulting the son putting a hit out on him. Not to mention that Phillip has withdrawn his funds.]]

* TechnicianVsEntertainer: Gregorious vs. The Strangler

* KarmaHoudini: [[spoiler: Kristo]]

* DespairEventHorizon: [[spoiler: Harry slips into a VillainousBsod after his friend gives him up to Kristo.]]