The Asphalt Jungle
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Movie Reviews of The Asphalt Jungle
Movie Review: The Asphalt Jungle
Summary: 5 Stars
Top-notch film noir and a tense mood piece loaded with furtive underworld figures in a gritty, urban atmosphere. Huston extracts top performances from the entire cast, in particular Calhern, Sam Jaffe and a young Sterling Hayden. Also look for an early Marilyn Monroe appearance as Calhern's child-like mistress.Movie Review: (Almost) Nothing Else Comes Close !
Summary: 5 Stars
This Is Without A Doubt The Cream Of The "Film-Noir" Crop !!! Simply The Best. "Double Indemnity", "Gun Crazy" And "Laura" Are Close, But This Is The Greatest Film Of The Genre...Period ! Except No Substitute ! If You Are A New To The Film-Noir Genre, START HERE !!! 5 Stars !Movie Review: Noir Indeed !
Summary: 4 Stars
Actually, I'll give "The Asphalt Jungle" four and a half stars, as it stands as one of the great "films noir", and another triumph for director, John Huston. This is a gritty, realistic portrait of the big city's dark "underbelly", circa 1950, and some of the shady characters who are trying to survive in this tough environment.
Most of the people we meet in "Jungle" are crooks, with different skills--there is even the obligatory "cop on the take". A brainy crook named "Doc" ( Sam Jaffe, excellent as usual ) has just been released from jail, where he has clearly not been rehabilitated ! He has planned a big jewellery heist. Of course, he needs help to pull it off. With the assistance of the local bookie, "Cobby" ( sweaty, nervous Marc Lawrence ), he recruits an expert safe-cracker, "Louis" ( desperate Anthony Caruso ), a getaway driver, "Gus" ( cool-under-fire James Whitmore ) and, for muscle, a bitter, tough-as-nails hood, "Dix" (an unshaven Sterling Hayden, never better ). To bankroll the whole operation, our gang brings in a sleazy lawyer named Emmerich, played with smarmy elitism by Louis Calhern.
Of course, you know what can happen to "the best laid plans". Unforeseen problems, accidents and the personal faults of the individuals involved cause Doc's "perfect plan" to go off the rails. There is much more to the plot, not to mention some interesting sub-plots, but I don't like to spoil movies for first-time viewers, so I will not reveal more of the story-line.
I would like to mention a few other performances though that further contribute to a fine film. Jean Hagen plays "Doll", Dix's long-suffering girlfriend, a very different role to her ditzy, petulant "star" in "Singin' in the Rain"--what a versatile actress ! John McIntire registers strongly as the Police Commissioner, a job obviously not for "nice guys" ! Brad Dexter has a few memorable scenes as a private eye.
Finally, Emmerich's mistress, "Angela", is played by a young actress just starting her career in movies--Marilyn Monroe. Her acting here may not be on a par with the other actors, but her glamour and charisma still leap off the screen.
The DVD exhibits a reasonable black and white picture, with some occasional wear--sound of course is mono. Extras include a trailer, a brief introduction by John Huston, optional comments by film scholar, Drew Casper, and even a few reminiscences by cast-member, James Whitmore ( his comments on Marilyn are interesting ).
Bottom line--if you like classic, hard-boiled film noir, "The Asphalt Jungle" rates with the best. You are in for 112 minutes of gripping entertainment. Recommended.
A very sad footnote, dated 16 February 2009--Mr. James Whitmore has passed away. This fine actor had a long career in film, television and in the theatre, where he displayed a remarkable talent in so many different roles.
Movie Review: "We all work for our vices."
Summary: 4 Stars
Once a key part of the mighty battle between Louis B. Mayer and head of production Dore Schary for creative control at MGM, John Huston's classic 1950 heist movie The Asphalt Jungle is good - very good - but at times it feels like it would have benefited from a lower budget and a tighter running time. Even though it was a comparatively low budget picture for the studio there's still a feeling that it's a film about people with no money made by people with rather a lot of it even if it was part of a conscious move by the studio to tackle grittier subject matter to compete with television. But then, with a track record that included Little Caesar, Scarface and High Sierra, the screen rights to W. R. Burnett's novel were never likely to go to one of the more cash-strapped studios that churned out film noir thrillers for their bread-and-butter.
It's that old favorite, the perfect heist that goes wrong, not because of bad luck or any overlooked detail but because of the inherent character flaws of the men carrying it out: for Sam Jaffe's meticulous and brilliant planner Doc Riedenschneider, it's very young girls ("We all work for our vices"), for Louis Calhern's crooked lawyer it's his belief that he can talk his way in and out of anything, for Marc Lawrence's bookie it's his desire to be seen as the equal of more socially `legitimate' criminals and for Sterling Hayden's not-too-bright hooligan it's his exaggerated sense of his own honor. Although executed with skill, most of the film's pleasures come from the performances, not least Jaffe's uncharacteristic Teutonic precision that earned him an Oscar nomination and Louis Calhern's free-spending but bankrupt criminal lawyer who simply regards crime as "a left-handed form of human endeavor" and who gets much of the best dialogue. But the supporting cast is memorable too, from Jean Hagen's hooker in love with Hayden, eager to please but living on her nerves in a performance completely devoid of vanity, Marc Lawrence's sweaty bookie and James Whitmore's cat-loving but tough-as-nails hunchback barkeep to Brad Dexter's unscrupulous private eye trying to cut himself into the deal, while Dorothy Tree's neglected wife puts a lifetime of desperation to recapture old times in her two scenes. Definitely worthwhile, though it doesn't leave as lasting an impression as many a cheaper film noir. Incidentally, someone really should tell whoever wrote the sleeve blurb for WHV's DVD release what `gunsel' really means...
Extras are few - an audio commentary by Drew Casper and James Whitmore, 'virtual' introduction by John Huston constructed from TV archive footage, and original theatrical trailer - but good.
Movie Review: THE LAW OF THIS JUNGLE IS DEADLY
Summary: 4 Stars
The disquieting urban landscape and deeply disturbed motley crew of spurious characters that populate "The Asphalt Jungle" make the film one of the essential destinations for fans of film noir. The films artfully gritty atmosphere is perhaps its best selling feature, though, truth be told, there is nothing about the production that is second rate. Basically, it's a jewel heist caper gone horribly wrong but carried off with such panache and attention to detail by director, John Huston that one has to admire both the economy of plot and depth of characters fleshed out within the context of two hours. Huston's great knack for extolling unusual and breakthrough performances from his ensemble is working overtime on this occasion. While we might be used to seeing Sam Jaffe as a nefarious rogue (here, he's Doc, the criminal mastermind with a weakness for hoop earrings and tight skirts), the extraordinary off kilter performance of Louis Calhern - as middle aged fencer, Ennrich/sugar daddy to Marilyn Monroe, is so menacing in its undertone, that one wishes the actor had been given the opportunity to play more such parts. There is nothing cartoonish or cliché about any of the characters in the film. Sterling Hayden's particularly powerful as Dix Handley, the tense enforcer of the group. This is a story about out of control people losing control of their lives. Huston captures the immediacy of these tragic lives and the overwhelming sense of doom. As one might expect, it ends badly for all concerned though, within the context of this review I won't say exactly how.The transfer on "The Asphalt Jungle" is better than average, though it's not perfect. The gray scale has a richly balanced look with deep solid blacks and clean whites. On occasion grain looks heavier than it should and contrast levels seem a tad low. Still, this DVD is considerable improvement over previously issued VHS tapes. Age related artifacts are present but do not terribly distract. The audio is mono but nicely balanced. The more intent listener will notice some hiss but nothing that will distract. Drew Casper provides the audio commentary here. There are a few inserts of audio from James Whitmore that will most surely enhance your appreciation for this film. All in all, another good disc to add to your library of classic film noir.