Review of The Asphalt Jungle (1950) by Martin T — 01 Apr 2010

The main character is the story. A group of people head down that tempting road of easy money, the big payday, and seal their fates against the most powerful gang in the city: the police. Doc (Jaffe) gets out of prison and goes right back to what he's best at: big heists. He plays the most interesting and layered character of the film and also comes through with fine acting. Doc is a foreigner (German) and goes about his business with a discrete professionalism. Dix (Hayden) has amazing presence and all that jazz, but his portrayal of the 'hooligan' in this pic is one dimensional and off key. He goes through the whole movie with a look on his face like something smells funny. By the end he becomes the main character by default, and it is the most likable because he's an honorable man who happens to be a thief. There is a bookie, a corrupt lawyer, a corrupt cop, and a couple others to round out the group. Huston succeeds in making them all seem human and vulnerable each in their own way. There are no angels and no demons, but people whose individual plights are made understandable.

This is the type of story that I am not drawn to only because you know how it will end. It takes away the necessary uncertainty a good tale needs. No, this is a morality play and fairly well done at that. But it never delivered anything I didn't expect.

Marilyn Monroe plays a bit player in the works and I gotta say she is a knock out. Maybe that isn't the most erudite observation for a review, but it's true.

As I stated the main star is the story, and not even that in that it is a straightforward predictable tale, but in the way that various people who aren't rotten at heart might fall into a bad habit of robbery. After all I think we all secretly want to plan an immaculate bank job and have a stash of diamonds or a suitcase of bills about. Huston does evoke our sympathies on the human dimension of not just the thieves, but also the cops. This is the essence of the film.