The Street With No Name (1948)

An FBI Inspector (Lloyd Nolan) is baffled by the murder of a housewife and a bank teller with no connection between the victims ... except the murder weapon. He sends his best agent (Mark Stevens) undercover to penetrate the inner circle of a notorious gang run by an ambitious crime boss (Richard Widmark). Directed by William Keighley (THE MAN WHO CAME TO DINNER). Filmed in a semi documentary style which was popular in the late 1940s with films like BOOMERANG, THE HOUSE ON 92ND STREET and CALL NORTHSIDE 777. Shot on the streets (and buildings) of Los Angeles, it has a pseudo gritty environment that contrasts with the stage bound sets at the studio. I found it entertaining it enough but there was still a melodramatic (but not in a good way) artificial quality about it. However, I did find Widmark's performance superior to his debut performance the previous year in KISS OF DEATH. Not so over the top, he's much more believable in a movie of this type. With Barbara Lawrence, Ed Begley, John McIntire and Joseph Pevney (who would later turn to directing).