This movie about a piece of real-life investigative journalism was much lauded at the time of its release, mainly for being one of the first features to be filmed in the actual locations where the events took place. It's certainly a good-looking picture, well directed by Henry Hathaway in an unhurried, unsensational fashion and yet it's dull. This is the story of a man in prison for life for a murder he didn't commit and of one reporter's efforts to get him reprieved but there's no excitement, no sense of urgency; it's certainly not a whodunit.
"Call Northside 777" falls into that category of films you admire for the skill with which they're made but which don't engage you on an emotional level and given the subject, this one should. James Stewart is the reporter and he goes about his duties earnestly but without conviction, (it's one of his least interesting performances), and it's left to Richard Conte, the prisoner, to give the film whatever feeling it has. He's very good but it's a small role. The rest of a good cast are largely wasted and the real star of the picture is Joe MacDonald who did the superb location photography. It's not seen much these days and is hardly likely to hold an audience raised on the likes of "All the President's Men"
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