The Turning Point (1952)

A crusading district attorney (Edmond O'Brien) is tasked to crack down on a powerful crime syndicate. He recruits a newspaperman pal (William Holden), his policeman father (Tom Tully) and his girlfriend (Alexis Smith) in this enterprise. But little does he know that the syndicate involvement will hit closer to home than he anticipated. Directed by William Dieterle (LIFE OF EMILE ZOLA), this is a straightforward no nonsense noir crime film. It slowly builds to an intense finale set in a boxing arena but I was taken aback by the downbeat ending which I wasn't expecting. Inspired by the Kefauver crime hearings of 1950, noir fans should find plenty to like here. Of interest to natives of Los Angeles, we get a view of the downtown Los Angeles area like the historical Bunker Hill which no longer exist (it was flattened for high rises) and the funicular railway. With Ed Begley, Russell Johnson, Ted De Corsia, Neville Brand, Ray Teal, Adele Longmire and in her film debut, Carolyn Jones.