Review of The Asphalt Jungle (1950) by Gregg P — 17 Sep 2009

The films pedigree is impressive; it is based on a novel by W.R. Burnett (Little Caesar, High Sierra), itâ??s directed by John Huston (Maltese Falcon, Key Largo) and features a score by Miklós Rózsa who would win 3 Oscars from 17 nominations for his film contributions. The film also has a great ensemble cast including; Sterling Hayden, Louis Calhern, Jean Hagen, James Whitmore, Sam Jaffe, Brad Dexter and Marilyn Monroe in one of her first roles. With a collaboration such as this, it hardly seems surprising that they made such an effective film, but there are many examples where such combinations did not succeed.

Here we have a diverse group of men, coming together to commit a major heist with considerable planning and preparation to avoid any snags, but of course few such endeavors ever seem to go as planned, especially in movies. The planning is the responsibility of "Doc" Riedenschneider (Jaffe), who seems more like a professor than a man who has just been released from jail. The muscle is supplied by Dix (Hayden), a more complex man than appearances might suggest who has both dreams and problems of his own. The financing comes from a desperate and corrupt lawyer named Emmerich (Louis Calhern). We also have the hunchbacked driver Gus Minissi (Whitmore), as well as a safecracker and the groups go-between a bookie, all with stories of their own.

In a fairly limited role as Emmerichâ??s much younger other woman we have Marilyn, while Hagen plays the girl in Dixâ??s life who just happens to go by the name Doll.

It is the films atmosphere and style particularly, including but not limited to the cinematography and the score, that mark this film distinctly as Noir, and not just a run of the mill Noir but one of genreâ??s best examples. The films writing and performances also contribute to creating a true classic. The film would be very influential upon a number of other films and is considered by some to be one of the first caper films.