Edge of the City

Young cowardly drifter Axel Nordmann arrives at the waterfront on the west side of Manhattan, seeking employment as a longshoreman, and giving his name as "Axel North." He goes to work in a gang of stevedores headed by Charlie Malick, a vicious bully, and is befriended by Tommy Tyler, who also supervises a stevedore gang and has an engaging, charming sense of humor. Malick resents blacks and is antagonized when Axel goes to work for Tommy.