City Across The River

Based on Irving Shulman's hot 1940s novel The Amboy Dukes, this was the picture for teenagers to see in 1949. It all takes place in the shade of the Brooklyn Bridge and purports to show how crowded tenement life leads to crime. The Amboy Dukes (so named after Amboy Street) are the tough guys in the area and Fernandez, one of their members, goes too far when he and a pal rough up their shop teacher. The result is the teacher's death and Fernandez becomes a fugitive. The remainder of the film shows the boys hiding out, their ultimate hatred of each other, and a battle between Fernandez and Ramsen on a rooftop. There are several sidebar stories involving...