13 West Street (1962)

13 West Street
Type Feature Film
MPAA Rating NR
Runtime 1hr 20mins.
Genres Crime, Short Film
Status Published
US Release Date 05/01/1962
Synopsis
Leaning heavily on violence to ostensibly deliver a pacifist message, this standard drama by Philip Leacock looks at the problem of teen gangs from a slightly different angle -- these teens are all wealthy. Everything starts off when aerospace engineer Walt Sherill (Alan Ladd) is accosted and severely beaten by a group of young punks. The victimized man decides to hunt down the thugs on his own, at first just for curiosity and then increasingly for vengeance. His actions spark retaliatory measures, and before the credits roll, the body count is elevated by a few more victims in what amounts to nothing more than a blood feud. In the end, justice of the legal and politically correct sort makes a token appearance.

~ Eleanor Mannikka, All Movie Guide