Where the Sidewalk Ends, from 1950, is a film noir directed by Otto Preminger, with Dana Andrews and Gene Tierney taking on starring roles and Gary Merrill in a supporting role. It's not overly noir---more like a crime/drama---however, Net Flix classifies it as noir, so I'm calling it that too.
Mark Dixon (Andrews) is a police officer with an anger problem. After the department receives several complaints about his assault on criminals, the officer is warned that he needs to learn to control himself. One evening, though, while trying to get information from a suspect, Mark punches the man, and the blow ends up proving fatal. Desperate to cover his crime and pin it on a known crime boss (Gary Merrill), Officer Dixon sets an elaborate scheme into motion.
After first making sure it appears that the dead man has gone out of town, Mark then disposes of the body. As it turns out, though, taxi driver, Jiggs Taylor (Tom Tully)---not the intended mobster---becomes the prime suspect in the case. Since Jiggs is the father of Morgan Taylor (Gene Tierney), the woman with whom Mark has recently become involved, Officer Dixon is forced to decide if he is going to allow Jiggs to take the fall for a crime he himself committed.
This is an interesting, entertaining movie, with Dana Andrews giving his usual solid performance. Gene Tierney, quite honestly, didn't have much to do. She's her usual beautiful, charming self, but, really, this was Andrews' film, leaving Tierney as hardly more than eye candy. Still, though, her character is essential to the plot, and since she and Andrews worked well together, I think Gene fit the bill nicely. Gary Merrill took well to the slimey, crime boss role; I found him very believable.
The film is out on DVD, and it is available on Net Flix instant viewing. It's also available in its entirety on YouTube (HERE). Add to that, Fox Movie Channel has been airing it quite often these past few weeks. It should be very easy to track down.
Happy viewing!!
