The Asphalt Jungle (1950) Poster, Movie Still, Photos, Monroe

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The Asphalt Jungle (1950) Movie Poster

Plot

The Asphalt Jungle is a brilliantly conceived and executed anatomy of a crime -- or, as director John Huston and scripter Ben Maddow put it, "a left-handed form of human endeavor." Recently paroled master criminal Erwin "Doc" Riedenschneider (Sam Jaffe), with funding from crooked attorney Emmerich (Louis Calhern), gathers several crooks together in Cincinnati for a Big Caper. Among those involved are Dix (Sterling Hayden), an impoverished hood who sees the upcoming jewel heist as a means to finance his dream of owning a horse farm. Hunch-backed cafe owner (James Whitmore) is hired on to be the driver for the heist; professional safecracker Louis Ciavelli (Anthony Caruso) assembles the tools of his trade; and a bookie (Marc Lawrence) acts as Emmerich's go-between. The robbery is pulled off successfully, but an alert night watchman shoots Ciavelli. Corrupt cop (Barry Kelley), angry that his "patsy" (Lawrence) didn't let him in on the caper, beats the bookie into confessing and fingering the other criminals involved. From this point on, the meticulously planned crime falls apart with the inevitability of a Greek tragedy. Way down on the cast list is Marilyn Monroe in her star-making bit as Emmerich's sexy "niece"; whenever The Asphalt Jungle would be reissued, Monroe would figure prominently in the print ads as one of the stars. The Asphalt Jungle was based on a novel by the prolific W.R. Burnett, who also wrote Little Caesar and Saint Johnson (the fictionalized life story of Wyatt Earp). ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

Review

Much imitated, The Asphalt Jungle was one of the first caper films to show a crime and its consequences from the criminals' point of view. It's one of director John Huston's most gritty and suspenseful films, centering on a recently paroled criminal's scheme to make one last big hit. The cast of reliable character actors includes Sterling Hayden, James Whitmore and Sam Jaffe, and a little-known seductress named Marilyn Monroe, who had a small part. Based on a novel by W.R. Burnett, The Asphalt Jungle was innovative for 1950, as Huston told a crime-doesn't-pay story without the usual distancing and moralizing. It is more of a character study than an action film, and countless films that came later, all the way to Pulp Fiction, have paid it homage, some unknowingly. Some of the more direct remakes of the same plot include Cairo, A Cool Breeze, and The Badlanders. ~ Michael Betzold, All Movie Guide

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Cast

John McIntire - Police Commissioner Hardy; Marilyn Monroe - Angela Phinlay; Marc Lawrence - Cobby; Barry Kelley - Lt. Ditrich; Anthony Caruso - Louis Ciavelli; Teresa Celli - Maria Ciavelli; Wee Willie Davis - Timmons; Dorothy Tree - May Emmerich; Brad Dexter - Bob Brannen; John Maxwell - Dr. Swanson; Benny Burt - Driver; Frank Cady - Night Clerk; John Cliff - Policeman; Henry Corden - William Doldy; Ralph Dunn - Policeman; Pat Flaherty - Policeman; Alex Gerry - Maxwell; Sol (Saul) Gorss - Policeman; Fred Graham - Truck Driver; Don Haggerty - Detective Andrews; Eloise Hardt - Vivian; Strother Martin - Karl Anton Smith; Patricia Miller - Girl; Howard Mitchell - Secretary; Alberto Morin - Eddie Donato; Kerry O'Day - Girl; Raymond Roe - Tallboy; Henry Rowland - Franz Schurz; James Seay - Officer Janocek; Helene Stanley - Jeannie; Ray Teal - Policeman; Bill Washington - Suspect; Judith Wood - Woman; Wilson Wood - Man; Jack Shea - Policeman; Tom Browne Henry - James X. Connery; Tim Ryan - Jack; Police Clerk; Joseph Darr Smith - Reporter

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