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City of Fear (1959)
Rate:
5
Viewed:
1/25
1/25:
City of Fear reminds me of
The Killer That Stalked New York.
Instead of smallpox, it's cobalt-60 that threatens a city. By focusing on this subject matter, the
filmmakers have unintentionally opened a can of worms. For starters, why, of all places, does a prison
hospital possess a canister of cobalt-60? It turns out that the material was used for cobalt therapy to
treat tumors rooted deep inside a patient's body.
Then, why is cobalt-60 housed in a steel container if touching it will be enough to cause death? Should something
else safer be used? How about these guys, especially the doctor who understood the dangers of cobalt-60,
being okay with touching stuff and walking into hot rooms as confirmed by the Geiger counter? Shouldn't
they worry about getting cancer, too?
Of course, it's unbelievable that Vince Ryker managed to live so long given he was in direct contact with
the canister many times, never parting himself with it, while the others died in much less time despite
the minimal contact. Regardless of what anyone says, cobalt-60, in real life, kills people within an hour
after direct exposure. By the way, why was the cannister gift-wrapped when his girlfriend found it in the suitcase?
The cops are so stupid that I can do a better job of catching Vince Ryker. Photography had been
invented back then which means there must be a picture of him. So, use that! Second, put his associates (June
Marlowe, Eddie Crown, and Pete Hallon) on 24-hour surveillance. Sooner or later, they'll come in
contact with the escaped prisoner. Third, tell them the truth of what's in the canister and give them a
reward afterwards. Fourth, there's no reason to inform the city; catching the guy is the only thing that matters.
All in all, City of Fear is a very average film noir picture that screams for a better director.