Pickup on South Street (1953)

Pickpocket ruins a sting operation when he unwittingly lifts a wallet that contains more than cash. This is a decent noir -- the first half-hour or so is particularly excellent.

Thelma Ritter's in it (always a good thing) and she brings some heart to the proceedings as a stoolie who isn't begrudged her living by the criminals on whom she informs. There is an unfortunate "Commies! Oh no!" foundation, but it's clunky and really beside the point. According to one of the trivia entries on IMDb, the French version changed the dialogue and title to make it about drugs rather than Communist spies -- which just goes to show how little the what in this story matters. It's all about the how.

B-