Because this film starred Dennis O'Keefe (who was wonderful in his Film Noir appearances), I was sure to see it. And fortunately, the overall effort was exciting and engaging--making it a decent later example of the genre. While not as bloody and earthy as many Noir films, due to the head of the mob priding himself on being a well-spoken gentleman, nevertheless is a decent film of this type.The film begins with a contract killing so stop an accountant from spilling his guts about organized crime. A citizen's group decides that they need to try a new way to infiltrate the mob--send in a freelance agent who isn't a cop or part of the Treasury or Justice Departments. So Dennis O'Keefe is recruited and he is able to eventually rise very high in the ranks--and leading to a wonderful showdown.I think the reason I like O'Keefe in these films is because he's so ugly--or at best ordinary looking. For Noir, this is great, as pretty boys and the like are NOT something you'd expect. So, when Edmund O'Brien isn't available, O'Keefe is a good substitute.Full of excellent intrigue, an interesting and unusual plot and sure to please fans of the genre, CHICAGO SYNDICATE nearly earns an 8--it's that good.FYI--It is interesting that in one scene where they are standing outside a movie theater, the picture listed on the marquee is ON THE WATERFRONT--another film about mobsters which came out at about the same time as CHICAGO SYNDICATE.

I saw the show on Turner Classic Movies. The plot was entertaining. It kicks off with a murder of a mob accountant who gave inside info to a newspaper man (the "Syndicate" didn't like that.) The newsman then gets some leading Chicago people plus lawmen together to try to "break the Syndicate wide open." They persuade Barry Amsterdam (Dennis O'Keefe), an aspiring accountant dreaming of starting his own business, to infiltrate the mob and get the lowdown on the crooks. He ends up doing an amazing job, for an accountant! But the use of real street scenes is what made this a very interesting movie for a Chicago history buff like me. You can see many downtown locations (theaters, buildings, bridges, rivers, street signs), era shots (men in hats, big cars, 50s trains & buses) and dialog about real places (Halsted, Ohio, The Palmer House, Maxwell Street). Lot's of fun!

A cheesy "B" crime thriller of the early '50, the story is droll, the characters wooden, Allison Hayes and Abbe Lane are the only two sexpots that make it an eye-catcher, but one short shot, only a few frames long, shows an "el" train crossing the river on the State Street bridge, of the 6000 series Pullman-built cars painted in their original 1950 paint scheme, as they were delivered when new in 1950. For traction fans like me, that one short take makes the picture worthwhile. I think films like this one, Ulmer's DETOUR, D.O.A. with Edmund O'Brien,THE FUGITIVE with Harrison Ford, and others of the film noir genre, (big city crime dramas) make it interesting if for nothing other than the fact that I know Chicago and San Francisco intimately and recognize most of the street locations. Other wise it's a really droll boring film!

Dennis O'Keefe plays Barry Amersterdam, an accountant hired by authorities to infiltrate the syndicate in order the get the goods on the top man Arnie Valent. He works his way in and soon rises to become the mobs top accountant. Along the way he is distracted by Joyce Kern (Allison Hayes) a women out to avenge the mob murder of her father. CHICAGO SYNDICATE is a standard "B" crime thriller of the period. It is one of many films made in the fifties purporting to expose the sin, crime, corruption and vice of some major American city. Dennis O'Keefe gives his usual breezy performance. Allison Hayes is sexy. The best performance is Paul Stewart as mob boss Arnie Valent. Stewart was always at his best when he played slimy crooks, and he is quite convincing here as the nasty mob boss who loves his mother and likes to beat women.