MovieChat Forums > Where the Sidewalk Ends Discussion > What was the deal with ...

What was the deal with ...

posted 10 years ago by Ironman54
4 replies | jump to latest

Possible spoiler so ...

him having to do this big 'cover up' ? Why didn't he simply say that he found the guy dead ? I've watched this one many times over the years (since the early 60s) and it never occurred to me, for whatever reason, until today that right from the beginning this movie is HUGELY flawed.I understand all about his rep etc but we're talking about a gangster here that was in a deadly fight with plenty of witnesses just shortly before the Detective showed up at his place. It makes no sense that he would go through all of that rather than simply say "When I arrived at his place I found him dead on the floor'. I know,I know, then there would be no great old B&W cops/robbers movie ... LOL !!

[–] MagicSlim 9 years ago

My take on that was that he was considering his options when the phone call came from his partner and forced to create an alibi with the most flexibility. He opted for saying no one was home thus forcing him down that path. Going back to "I found him dead...." would not have worked after he was committed to no one was home................maybe?

[–] MsELLERYqueen2 8 years ago

I agree with you. That would have been the logical thing to say.

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Jim Hutton (1934-79) & Ellery Queen = 

[–] mikethemartian (6998) 4 years ago

He was trying to protect his career. He didn’t want to be demoted a second time down to a beat cop.

[–] liscarkat (19418) 3 years ago

The commander had just ripped him a new one for beating on suspects, and he figured it would be assumed that it had happened again. At best he would have been demoted, and at worst he would have been prosecuted for manslaughter. He panicked and did what he thought he had to do to save his ass.