Look, sister… That was a cop they killed – and you gals know who pulled the trigger! Vice Squad (also known as The Girl in Room 17) has Arnold Laven at its helm, with a screenplay by Lawrence Roman adapted from Leslie T. White’s novel "Harness Bull." It features Edward G. Robinson, Paulette Goddard, K.T. Stevens, Porter Hall, Adam Williams, Lee Van Cleef, Edward Binns, Barry Kelley and Jay Adler. The music is composed by Herschel Burke Gilbert and the cinematography is handled by Joseph F. Biroc. Whatever title the marketing team decided to use doesn’t really give you a clear idea of what kind of movie you're about to see. "Vice Squad" sounds appealing, but that’s just one element of the story; similarly, “The Girl in Room 17” is misleading. It was probably too unremarkable for MGM executives to consider, because it’s essentially "A Day in the Life of a Los Angeles Police Captain," and it's surprisingly good. Robinson plays Captain Barnaby, who while investigating the death of a cop, must also deal with other incidents occurring throughout his day, leading him to suspect that an impending bank robbery might be connected to the killing. It becomes clear that Barnaby’s job isn’t just about being a police officer; he also has to function as a psychiatrist and counselor. He'll have to make arrangements – not all strictly legal – and employ methods that would likely shock people today, but it’s necessary to achieve his goals. Even during the chaos of the day, he is asked to appear on a TV show to present an image of police professionalism. What a day! As far as 1950s police procedural "noirs" go, this one ranks among the best. The editing (by Arthur H. Nadel) is well done; it weaves all the storylines together without interrupting the narrative's flow, and the various subplots remain engaging. These smaller stories contain cynicism, dramatic intensity, some pointed dialogue, and even humor that pushed boundaries of acceptability at the time (like a scene involving an underwear thief). The cast delivers strong performances in their roles, with Robinson giving a particularly compelling portrayal. Even though Goddard’s character – a “escort agency” boss with plenty of curves and suggestive poses – isn't featured as much as she should be (which is a shame, because her scenes with Robinson are excellent), it’s still an impressive lineup of actors from the 1940s and 50s doing justice to the material. This film marked the start of Arnold Laven’s limited career directing feature films (he would later become prolific in television). He directs this one very well, aided by Joseph F. Biroc's cinematography, which provides some effective noir visuals – like the shadows that fall across Barnaby as he takes troubling phone calls. The location shooting in Beverly Hills, Santa Monica and Long Beach is also noteworthy, and it’s nice to know there’s a decent print of the film available now. Ultimately, what you want is a mix of criminals, police officers, shady characters, and women who work—and here, you get all of that, all within a single day! 8/10

Source on TMDB