Watch Sleeping City

Sleeping City is a captivating film noir released in 1950, directed by George Sherman and starring Richard Conte, Coleen Gray, and Richard Taber. The movie opens with the scene of three thieves determinedly pulling off a $300,000 heist from the Bellevue Hospital in New York City. They steal the money from a hospital satchel, which was being transported from one bank to another by a courier named Barney (Richard Taber). The unprecedented crime shook the entire city and the NYPD soon forms a task force responsible for investigating the robbery.

Detectives Fred Rowan (Richard Conte) and Jess Gillespie (Alex Nicol) are assigned to the case. The highly experienced investigators begin to investigate the heist by interviewing everyone involved in the case, including the patients and staff members of the hospital, the security guards, and even Barney, who had allowed the robbers to take off with the money after they threatened to kill him.

The detectives quickly learned that the Bellevue Hospital is run by an honest, dedicated doctor named Andrew Crippen (Jules Dassin). Dr. Crippen is doing everything he can to help them find the criminals responsible for the heist. During their investigation, the detectives discover that the hospital had a shadowy underworld of its own, considerably more complex than they had anticipated. They also come across a number of suspicious characters, including a female patient named Ruth Morrison (Coleen Gray), who is admitted to the hospital suffering from a severe flu.

As the investigation proceeds, Fred and Ruth begin to get closer to one another, and their relationship starts to affect the ongoing case. Ruth is a suspected accomplice to the heist, due to a possible romantic link with one of the robbers. Fred, on the other hand, struggles to keep his professional work separate from his emotional attachment to Ruth.

Sleeping City stands out as a thriller with an excellent cast that includes Richard Conte and Coleen Gray, who have a natural and convincing on-screen chemistry. The film is filled with suspense and intrigue, which makes it a captivating classic for audiences still today. Additionally, the use of black-and-white cinematography captures the dark and seedy atmosphere of 1950s New York City.

The film also provides a glimpse into the city's hospital system, highlighting the fine line between corrupt and lawlessness behavior in the medical world. The story powerfully exposes how the medical workers, security personnel, and patients involved, have secretly intertwined lifestyles, which make the detectives' investigation all the more difficult. Throughout the movie, the tension is palpable, and the twists and turns will keep audiences guessing about who the mastermind behind the heist is.

With the brilliant direction of George Sherman and the outstanding performances of Richard Conte, Coleen Gray, and Richard Taber, Sleeping City stands out as a must-watch classic for movie enthusiasts of every generation. The film uses its noir style to create a compelling, unforgettable experience that will leave audiences on the edge of their seats until the very end. Sleeping City is a riveting film with a strong narrative, atmospheric lighting, and outstanding performances that make it an essential classic to watch.