CS Weekly Archive > DVD of the Day > 03/11/05

Docu-Noir

by jason davis

Jerome Cady and Jay Dratler
Adaptation by Leonard Hoffman and Quentin Reynolds
Based on articles by James P. McGuire

Loosely based on a true story, Call Northside 777 follows Chicago Times reporter P.J. McNeal (James Stewart) as he becomes involved in the plight of Frank Wiecek (Richard Conte), a man sentenced to ninety-nine years in prison for the murder of a cop eleven years before. While McNeal is initially only interested in a human-interest story on Wiecek's mother, he soon uncovers a stream of inadmissible evidence that leads him to believe Wiecek is innocent. As mentioned on the informative, if academic, commentary by Noir scholars Ursini and Silver, the film takes liberally from reality, conflating newspapermen McGuire and McPhaul to create McNeal and investing large amounts of screen time in the crime-solving technology of the day. After an overly narrated prologue, the narrative shifts into gear, with every piece of evidence McNeal finds adding to his doubt while proving useless in a court of law, until the final revelation via technology that resolves the tale.

Call Northside 777
20th Century Fox Home Entertainment
Not rated; 111 min.
$14.98

Buy it now for only $13.48 (save 10%)

At the age of 21, Jason Davis was hit in the face with a car. He has since devoted his life to writing. His words have appeared on TBS, MSN.com, and CS Daily, where he serves as DVD Coordinator. He lives in Burbank.

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