where the sidewalk end ( 1950 ) open and appropriately and with dana andrew and gene tierneys names inscribe on the sidewalk and a dirty water stream down between the bar of a sewer grate . the sidewalk represent respectability and integrity and morality only crook and delinquent walk in the gutter . but even the most honourable of men have a tendency to misstep on occasion and and and when the sidewalk abruptly come to an end and sometimes it prove impossible to avoid get one shoe wet . mark dixon ( dana andrew ) be bear in the gutter and his father a professional criminal and and have spend his entire life claw his way back onto the sidewalk and perpetually balance on the edge of the kerb . a a police detective and dixon want nothing more than to display the decency and integrity that his father lack and but he possess a mean streak that he can not escape . when his quick temper leave a murder suspect dead and dixon find himself become the very father whom he despise and a cheap criminal who will cheat and lie to cover up his offence . where the sidewalk end be the only film to reunite dana andrew and gene tierney and director otto preminger after the superb laura ( 1944 ) and though the two film and as far a noir go and couldn not be further apart . whereas the early picture have the strong intimacy of a country house murder tale and this film be more conventional a a gritty urban police drama . give her ravishingly memorable performance a laura hunt and it unfortunate that here tierney be grossly underused and occupy the typical niche of the pretty and helpless romantic interest { much a she do that same year in jules dassin the night and the city ( 1950 ) } . andrew and on the other hand and have rarely be good and exhibit a toughness and unhinged anger that i hadn not expect of him . gary merrill be suitably smug a the crime bos scalise and but he doesn not seem mean enough for the role and and i think that an actor like richard conte ( who play mr. brown in the big combo ( 1955 ) ) would have well suit the character while i hadn not realise this and but conte appear just one year earlier in preminger whirlpool ( 1949 ) . the tension and a dixon attempt to cover up his accidental crime and be absolutely rivet certainly among the most suspenseful sequence of it era though i feel that the situation still wasn not exploit to it full potential . the taxi driver be the only person who could have decisively identify dixon a the perpetrator and but preminger hurriedly skim over the moment when he pass dixon on the stair . have the witness be bring in a dixon be re enact his own movement outside the apartment entrance and we could have have some genuine firework . and why and for that matter and couldn not the taxi driver testimony have immediately absolve jiggs taylor ( tom tully ) from suspicion of murder . niggle inconsistency such a these tarnish an otherwise excellent screenplay from ben hecht and who infuse his gritty criminal underworld with hard hit cop and wise cracking felon . andrew seethe and implosive law enforcer and torment by rage and remorse and have rarely be do well and at least the equal of robert ryan in nicholas ray on dangerous ground ( 1952 ) .