Add your email and we'll match picks to the services you stream at home.

Poster for The Naked City

The Naked City

1948 | 96 min | Crime, Mystery, Thriller

Saturday Special

Why it’s a Saturday Special

It earned strong reviews (86% on Rotten Tomatoes) and it won 2 Oscars. A strong pick for the weekend.

Based on critics, audiences, awards, box office and buzz. Details below.

Is it for you?

Who'll love it: Made for crime fans and anyone who likes to be kept guessing. If you loved Insomnia, start here. Critics rate it higher than audiences do, so it rewards patience more than it chases thrills.
The mood: Tense, gritty.
The pace: Fast-moving, at 1 hr 36 min.
What might put you off: Made in 1948: an older pace and style.
Audiences were cooler on it than critics.

After a former model is drowned in her bathtub, Detective James Halloran and Lieutenant Dan Muldoon attempt to piece together her murder.

How it earned its rating

CriticsStrong
86% on Rotten Tomatoes, 74 on Metacritic
AudiencesSolid
7.2 out of 10
AwardsStrong
Won 2 Oscars: Best Film Editing, Best Cinematography, Black-and-White. Also nominated for 1 more Oscar.
Reach & staying powerSolid
Streaming release that reached a small audience so far; still draws a steady audience long after release
Buzz & cultural impactSolid
About 52K people sought it out in the past year

Trailer

More like this

Want more like this, picked just for you? Get my picks

Cast & crew

Directed by Jules Dassin

Barry FitzgeraldLt. Dan Muldoon
Howard DuffFrank Niles
Dorothy HartRuth Morrison
Don TaylorJimmy Halloran
Frank ConroyCaptain Donahue
Ted de CorsiaWilly Garzah
House JamesonDr. Lawrence Stoneman
Anne SargentMrs. Halloran
Adelaide KleinMrs. Batory
Grover BurgessMr. Batory