A clunky actioner with a handful of cool moments.

This movie tries so hard to be funny, yet it falls flat every time. Just another example of recycled ideas repackaged with women in an attempt to appeal to a certain audience.

All of these films share one commonality, that being a kind of emotional center that humanizes a cast of monsters.

The movie's not perfect, but it sticks the landing of its message. It was engaging - thrilling at times - and I personally thought it was a great time.

According to this film, there were 365 murders in Chicago in 1932, "one for every day of the year". (Actually, someone seems to have forgotten that 1932 was a leap year. Was nobody killed on 29th February?) Presumably people in 1948 were supposed to find that figure particularly appalling, a shocking reminder of just how high the crime rate was in the Bad Old Days of Prohibition, but today it would be a very low one. In 2013 there were 415 murders in Chicago, and this was the lowest figure since the mid-sixties. On several occasions during the seventies, eighties and nineties the annual figure rose to nearly a thousand. "Call Northside 777" tells the story of one of those killings, that of Police Officer William Lundy. Two young Polish-Americans named Joseph Majczek and Theodore Marcinkiewicz were convicted of the crime and sentenced to 99 years in prison, but doubts remained as to their guilt. The film is based on the facts of the case, but the names of the parties involved are changed. The dead officer becomes John Bundy and the two convicted men Frank Wiecek and Tomek Zaleska. In 1944, eleven years after the convictions of Wiecek and Zaleska, the city editor of the Chicago Times notices a classified advertisement in his newspaper offering a $5,000 reward for information about Bundy's killers. He assigns a reporter named Jim McNeal (based on a real journalist named Jim McGuire) to investigate. McNeal discovers that the ad has been placed by Wiecek's elderly mother who believes strongly in her son's innocence. (The ad asks people with information to "call Northside 777" which is her telephone number). McNeal is initially sceptical, believing Wiecek to be guilty, but as he uncovers more evidence he changes his mind, and the paper launches a campaign to prove the innocence of the two men. The police and the state attorney's office, however, are unwilling to admit that a miscarriage of justice has taken place, and try to cover up any evidence which might establish their innocence. The film ends with Wiecek (based on Majczek) triumphantly vindicated but Zaleska (based on Marcinkiewicz) remains in jail, seemingly forgotten. The reason was that by 1948, when the film was made, Majczek had been released from jail but Marcinkiewicz had not as the authorities were not yet satisfied that he had played no part in the murder. (He was eventually cleared of the crime and released in 1950). Although the real-life events upon which the film was based had occurred only a few years before it was made, meaning that most people would have been aware of Majczek's release, director Henry Hathaway nevertheless provides a tense, thriller-style ending in which McNeal, Wiecek's lawyer and the members of the parole board anxiously await the arrival of a key piece of evidence which might prove his innocence. The film is sometimes described as a film noir, but I am not sure that it really belongs in that category. I sometimes think that the genre might more accurately have been called "film gris". The great noirs may have been made using black-and-white photography- Hathaway was later to make "Niagara", one of the very few colour examples- but morally they tended to avoid black-and-white absolutes, painting everything in various shades of grey. In "Call Northside 777" there are plenty of black-and-white absolutes- more film noir-et-blanc than film noir. Wiecek is a noble character unjustly wronged by the system, McNeal is a tireless crusader for justice. Those who seek to impede McNeal's investigations for self-serving reasons are contemptible. Later in his career, particularly in some of the Westerns he made with Anthony Mann in the fifties, James Stewart showed that he was an actor who could deal very well with moral ambiguity and shades of grey, but in the forties he was more associated with straightforward "Mr Nice Guy" characters, and gives a fine performance as the determined and selfless McNeal. Another good contribution comes from Lee J. Cobb as his editor Brian Kelly. "Call Northside 777" is made in a semi-documentary style, closely following the facts of the Majczek and Marcinkiewicz case. It is an efficient mixture of documentary and crime thriller, paving the way for later films based upon real-life miscarriages (or alleged miscarriages) of justice such as "I Want to Live!" and the British-made "Yield to the Night". 7/10

Documentary-style and intriguing film based on facts about an unjustly imprisoned man . Actually, this film was based on a true story. Some elements, especially characters names, were fictionalized out of necessity, such as some central figures to the story were still living at the time of production, and had not given permission for their names to be used . It deals with a hard-boiled Chicago reporter P.J. McNeal (James Stewart) assigned by his publisher (Lee J Cobb) to investigate a strange information . As the cunning reporter finds himself in the crux of an important investigation uncovers new new clues in Wiecek case and unravels police cover-ups and missing evidence pointing to an imprisoned man's innocence . As he ferreted around until he found out the truth about a 12-year-old killing case . The journalist follows up a newspaper as offering 50000 dollars for any information leading to the arrest and conviction of a police killer . MacNeal right up to the ending agonising attempts to prove the innocence of of the inmate sent down for a killing he didn't do . The unjustly imprisoned for 11 years in real life was Joseph Majczek. After being released from prison in 1945, he worked as an insurance agent in Chicago. For his wrongful imprisonment, the State of Illinois awarded him $24,000, which Majczek gave to his mother Tillie. Majczek eventually remarried his wife with whom he had divorced while he was in prisonDocudrama/thriller based on the actual facts about Joe Majczek and the Pulitzer Price winning reporter Jim McGuire who through a deep investigation , found enough evidence to have the case reopened . This is a thrilling picture , as you get completely absorbed in its vision , captivating every step of the way thanks to pacy filmmaking and awesome interpretations . Interesting as well as thought-provoking plot with an incident-filled script by Jerome Cady and Jay Dratler based on articles by James P. McGuire and Jack McPhaul . Very good acting by the great James Stewart as an obstinate journalist who slowly comes to realize that there was a miscarriage of justice . Secondary cast is frankly excellent such as Lee J Cobb , E. G. Marshall , Moroni Olsen , Charles Lane and Helen Walker as wife . First credited film role of John McIntire, who portrayed Sam Faxon and Thelma Ritter's role as the police captain's secretary was mostly deleted from the released print, but she can still briefly be seen and heard in one scene . And film debut of Kasia Orzazewski who portrayed Tillie Wiecek, mother of the second lead character of Frank W. Wiecek. Evocative cinematography in black and white by Joseph MacDonald .This film was photographed in the State of Illinois using wherever possible, the actual locales associated with the story. "Call Northside 777 ¨ (1948) was actually the very first Hollywood produced feature film to be shot entirely on location in Chicago . Many famous landmarks, such as the Chicago Merchandise Mart, Holy Trinity Polish Mission, and the Wrigley Building on North Michigan Avenue, can be seen throughout the film. Emotive as well as atmospheric musical score by the classical Alfred Newman . The motion picture was stunningly directed by Henry Hathaway . Henry was a craftsman who had a long career from the 30s with successful films , and especially Westerns , as ¨Brigham Young¨ and ¨Raw Hide¨ . In his 60s Hathaway still got the vigour to make some fiery movies as ¨From Hell to Texas¨, ¨How the West was won¨, ¨Nevada Smith¨, and ¨Shoot out¨ . Hathaway also directed Noir genre as ¨Kiss of Death¨, ¨The House on 92nd Street¨ , ¨Niagara¨, ¨23 Paces to Baker Street¨ , adventures as ¨The last safari¨ , ¨Prince valiant¨ , ¨White rose¨ , ¨White Witch Doctor¨ and other kind of genres .

Some movies may not be exceptional in themselves, but still an important part, often in retrospect, of the big picture. This is one. It's really a movie on belief, belief that a man on the street, a newspaper man in our case, a nobler substitute for the noir detective, can get the story right if courageous enough.All you need to know is in the opening and closing scenes. Inbetween, we have merely a solid procedural. A newspaper man, a storyteller, tries to prove a man was convicted wrongly for murder, to do so he needs hard evidence. Various other story-makers stand in his way, cops, DA and governor. But just following the paper- trail is not very interesting.Hathaway was trying to film in that docu-crime mode that was briefly popular at the time, this just means that we don't get the expressive nightmare of noir. We're meant to be placed in real Chicago streets here, to be on a solid ground where truth can be effable and reached with the right effort.And this is interesting. The film opens with the Great Chicago Fire, as much a foundation for the building of modern America as interchangeable gun parts, the modern America which, at the time of the film's release, had transformed itself in the eyes of people to the disorienting urban maze of noir; and the notion that newspapers 'write' history. Both items refer to the constructing of that 'solid ground' of accepted truth.In the end we have this full circle: our man 'writes' history, the right one this time. Legalistic obstacles and cynicism are overcome, the investigation pays off, the crucial photograph (of a newspaper boy no less) when magnified reveals concrete truth. Both the first and the last scene are narrated by an omniscient narrator, the implication is that he is one of the file- keepers on the god level of noir handing down a lifestory.So. Right mind. Right action. Both anchored in belief in the story and human value, ultimately leading to (magnified) photographic truth. And godlike narrator who celebrates the restored order in the universe, praising the everyman's faith and courage.Slight in itself, naive. But how cool if you consider it in light of a specific cinematic trail; in Rear Window, Jimmy Stewart again is looking to confirm not innocence but guilt; another ten years later, in Blowup, the magnified photograph reveals only walls of mind, truth now being ineffable. The next step is yet to be fully taken, though Cache is a bold attempt; even closer look reveals a quantum state of truth.Noir Meter: 2/4

So says one of the observers on random wrongful conviction victim Frank Wiecek in this docudrama (= based on a true AND representative story of the American Way). CALL NORTHSIDE 777 is refreshing for its post-WWII naivete in which inhabitants mistook America for a Democracy (one man, one vote) as opposed to the corporate conglomerate it actually is (one dollar, one vote, codified into law explicitly with the recent CITIZENS vs. UNITED U.S. Supreme Court decision). Why someone as smart as George Bailey (or Chicago TIMES reporter Jim McNeal here) would not know this is beyond me. For 150 years, U.S. law enforcement has had two prime directives: protect rich people's property, and protect itself. Any other goal comes in a distant third at best. When anyone breaches raisons d'etre #1 OR #2, a random poor person can be easily incarcerated and\or fried if the real culprit is not conveniently available or appropriate to convict, as is the case with this story's police patsy, Frank Wiecek (and his inexplicably lost-at-the-end co-defendant, Tomek Zaleska) in this film. Released after 11 years of political imprisonment with just $10, crusading Chicago TIMES reporter Jimmy Stewart tells Frank he's lucky he's been given 91 cents for each of his 11 years at hard labor. So what if Frank lost his youth and his wife, and not even O.J. is looking for Officer Bundy's "real killer" in this case (the late police Captain Norris?). In one of Wikipedia's articles on world justice, it's noted that the percentage of inmates and executed people in the U.S. who were below the poverty line as free civilians is 71%, 20 points higher than any ACTUAL world Democracy (= one man, one vote). Though the Tea Party labels poor people as Satan's spawn, CALL NORTHSIDE 777 proves they're the salt of the earth, as Jesus said, as well as easy pickings when the criminal U.S. justice system needs a scapegoat.