The Turning Point

The Turning Point is a 1952 American film noir crime film directed by William Dieterle and starring William Holden, Edmond O'Brien and Alexis Smith. It was inspired by the Kefauver Committee's hearings dealing with organized crime. Plot John Conroy is a Special Prosecutor, given extraordinary powers to break up the crime syndicate in a large midwestern town; his investigation will focus on Neil Eichelberger and his criminal operation. A local journalist, Jerry McKibbon, is sympathetic to this but feels Conroy isn't experienced enough to handle the task. Matt Conroy, John Conroy's father, is a local policeman and is assigned to be his chief investigator. McKibbon discovers that Matt Conroy is a crooked cop who works for Eichelberger. McKibbon demands that Matt break with the mobster or he'll inform his son, John Conroy, of the duplicity. To vindicate himself, it is decided that Matt Conroy will procure a damning file from the D.A.'s office that Eichelberger has requested, but he will retain a copy. Even before this double-cross is exposed, Eichelberger decides to have Matt Conroy murdered in order to instill fear in his operation and show that Eichelberger is in control of the situation, since John Conroy's investigation is more serious than expected. Matt Conroy is killed during a phony robbery, and his assassin, Monty LaRue, is immediately killed in turn.