In order to enjoy this movie, you have to adopt a certain perspective. You have to look at it close up, so that you ignore the fact that it's a variation on the theme of "On The Waterfront" (1954). The points of similarity are myriad. The one that's missing is any poetry whatever in "Slaughter on Tenth Avenue", while there is an abundance of it in "On The Waterfront." I'll give just one example. Marlon Brando, as longshoreman Terry Malloy, is standing in the middle of a dozen other workers on one of the piers. Two members of "the waterfront commission" push their way towards him, calling, "Mr. Malloy? Terry Malloy?" Instead of turning to his left and facing the lawmen, Brando feigns puzzlement and turns the other way, completely around, until he's facing them again. Every dock worker knows that the crime commission is nosing around but longshoremen proudly solve their own problems. Brando's slow shuffling in a circle is a perfect non-verbal expression of his contempt.
But you must forget scenes like that. You have to forget Brando and Eva Marie Saint strolling through a smoky little park and getting to know one another. You have to forget all of that and think of "Slaughter on Tenth Avenue" as a thing unto itself. Yes, it's a pale imitation, but it's not ineffective in its own terms.
Richard Egan is an Assistant District Attorney who's assigned a homicide case. The victim, Mickey Shaughnessy, is only one of many 1950s iconic faces. They include Harry Belaver, Dan Duryea, Charles McGraw, Walter Matthau, Mickey Hargity, and Sam Levene. The names may or may not mean anything but you'll probably recognize most of the faces.
The two actresses are well cast. Jan Sterling, as Shaugnessy's wife and, later, widow is fine as the spitfire of a working-class woman. "Madge Pitts." Could anyone think of a better name for her rough, uneducated character? Julie Adams is Egan's girl friend and, as usual, she exudes an air of elegance in addition to her dark and striking beauty. She SOUNDS like the kind of babe who could marry an ambitious lawyer on his way up the bureaucratic ladder, while "Madge Pitts" belongs in a dump with an oilcloth covering the table in the tiny kitchen.
The central role is Richard Egan's district attorney. He's handsome enough, I suppose, and has a slightly nasal but resonant baritone. I like him. But if this is a display of his acting chops, then one must admit that he's not as well cast as Madge Pitts. Walter Matthau has the "Johnny Friendly" role -- all good will and bad grammar. I prefer him as a good guy.
The plot gets too complicated to describe, and I'm not at all sure why Matthau and his goons wind up in the paddy wagon, but okay. I get the fact that it's a happy ending.
But you must forget scenes like that. You have to forget Brando and Eva Marie Saint strolling through a smoky little park and getting to know one another. You have to forget all of that and think of "Slaughter on Tenth Avenue" as a thing unto itself. Yes, it's a pale imitation, but it's not ineffective in its own terms.
Richard Egan is an Assistant District Attorney who's assigned a homicide case. The victim, Mickey Shaughnessy, is only one of many 1950s iconic faces. They include Harry Belaver, Dan Duryea, Charles McGraw, Walter Matthau, Mickey Hargity, and Sam Levene. The names may or may not mean anything but you'll probably recognize most of the faces.
The two actresses are well cast. Jan Sterling, as Shaugnessy's wife and, later, widow is fine as the spitfire of a working-class woman. "Madge Pitts." Could anyone think of a better name for her rough, uneducated character? Julie Adams is Egan's girl friend and, as usual, she exudes an air of elegance in addition to her dark and striking beauty. She SOUNDS like the kind of babe who could marry an ambitious lawyer on his way up the bureaucratic ladder, while "Madge Pitts" belongs in a dump with an oilcloth covering the table in the tiny kitchen.
The central role is Richard Egan's district attorney. He's handsome enough, I suppose, and has a slightly nasal but resonant baritone. I like him. But if this is a display of his acting chops, then one must admit that he's not as well cast as Madge Pitts. Walter Matthau has the "Johnny Friendly" role -- all good will and bad grammar. I prefer him as a good guy.
The plot gets too complicated to describe, and I'm not at all sure why Matthau and his goons wind up in the paddy wagon, but okay. I get the fact that it's a happy ending.