Cry of the City

Martin Rome lies in a hospital room, gravely wounded and awaiting surgery. Family, his girlfriend Teena, a priest for last rites, and detectives Candella and Collins visit him, while talk of the jewel robbery and murder swirls around his bed. The atmosphere is tense as the authorities seek answers and his fate hangs in the balance.

Niles visits the hospital and tries to force a confession, threatening Teena to keep him quiet. Rome resists, signaling he will not cooperate and hinting at darker options. The confrontation underscores the leverage and danger surrounding the case.

While still recovering, Rome arranges to shield Teena by manipulating his nurse, Miss Pruett, into helping her hideaway. Miss Pruett agrees to keep Teena out of harm by housing her at her own apartment. The ploy demonstrates Rome's willingness to bend rules to protect the girl he cares about.

Rome is transferred to the prison hospital ward and escapes with the help of a trusted orderly. He slips away under the cover of routine care, starting his fugitive flight while the world believes him locked behind bars. The escape marks a turning point toward a manhunt and a new phase of the jewel scheme.

Rome goes to Niles' office, demanding money to secure a way out for himself and Teena. He opens the safe, discovers the stolen jewels, and learns that Rose Givens is the female accomplice through a confession from Niles. The moment sets the stage for the next twists in the crime web.

In a struggle with Rome, Niles is knifed to death and his receptionist is accidentally killed in the crossfire. Rome seizes the jewels and escapes, disappearing with the evidence intact. He later hides the jewels in a subway locker to keep them out of reach.

Feverish and exhausted, Rome goes to his parents' apartment. His father rejects him, his teenage brother Tony looks up to him, and his mother scolds him for the murders. Candella arrives to search the place, prompting Rome to flee once again.

Rome enlists his old girlfriend Brenda to locate Rose Givens' address. Because he is badly wounded, Brenda arranges an unlicensed foreign doctor to tend him. When Brenda drops Rome at Rose's address, he offers Rose the jewels in exchange for cash, a car, and safe passage out of the country.

Back at the hospital area, Candella and Collins question people who might have helped Rome escape—from the trusty to hospital staff and unlicensed doctors. The investigators race to map the network that allowed the fugitive to slip away. The net begins to tighten as more suspects are drawn into the dragnet.

Rose sets out to gather money and transport for Rome, and he phones Candella to arrange a meetup at the subway locker. When the exchange goes sour, Rose tries to shoot Rome but wounds Candella instead. The confrontation escalates as police hunt for both the jewels and the fugitives.

Rome meets Teena at a church, hoping to flee with her, but Teena refuses to go. Candella arrives and persuades her to leave with him, creating a tense stalemate at a sacred site. The church becomes a key setting for the final acts of pursuit and choice.

As Candella disarms Rome and tries to take him into custody, Rome runs with Candella in pursuit. Candella shoots Rome in the back, killing him just as Tony arrives to witness the tragedy. The ending underscores the high price of crime and the personal costs borne by those around Rome.

Tony arrives at the scene and witnesses the aftermath, breaking down in tears. He sits in the police car as the consequences of his brother's choices sink in, a poignant image of family tragedy. The scene closes the story with a quiet, devastating emotional beat.