Konterr Brilliant and touching

Beanbioca As Good As It Gets

StyleSk8r At first rather annoying in its heavy emphasis on reenactments, this movie ultimately proves fascinating, simply because the complicated, highly dramatic tale it tells still almost defies belief.

Rosie Searle It's the kind of movie you'll want to see a second time with someone who hasn't seen it yet, to remember what it was like to watch it for the first time.

atlasmb This is a caper film and one of the best examples of film noir. The black and white photography is stylish and atmospheric, the music is dramatic and sensitive to the visuals, the acting is terrific.Of course it helps to have a cast that includes Sterling Hayden, Louis Calhern, Jean Hagen, James Whitmore, Sam Jaffe and Marilyn Monroe. Their characters populate the city's "jungle"--the dark underside where each denizen has his vice. The film suggests that its inhabitants are infected with an urban disease, being too far from the land. This is the antithesis of "Spencer's Mountain", for example, where goodness wins out, because their lives are grounded in the soil."The Asphalt Jungle" is one of the best examples of film noir and has significantly influenced many films that followed. Like "The Maltese Falcon", it explores the dreams of those who are always looking for the big score. The final scene is nearly perfect in its symbolism and execution. This is a film that can be watched many times and enjoyed for its literate writing.

milam_ogden This is one of my favorite film noir classic films. I have it racked in Top 100 and Top 25 Film Noir movies of all time. I am writing this review at this time because I recently watched it again (January 23rd). I was prompted to do this because the film was being previewed at 2017 Noir City film festival in San Francisco.I owe a copy of the film and have watched annually for the last five years. The story was adapted from a novel by W.R. Burnett. The screenplay credits go to John Huston and Ben Maddow. Huston also directed the film. The music was created by Miklos Rozsa while the director of photography was Harold Rosson.It has an outstanding cast including Sterling Hayden, Louis Calhern, Jean Hagan, James Whitmore, Barry Kelley and John McIntire.Supporting cast include: Sam Jaffe, Marc Lawrence, Brad Dexter, Anthony Caruso and Marilyn Monroe.Sam Jaffe is the brains behind the "heist" concept and sells the plan to Louis Calhern. Jaffe's character is smart, brilliant and controlled. His one flaw(not shared) gets him caught in the end.HIGHLY RECOMMENDED!!!!

elvircorhodzic THE ASPHALT JUNGLE is a film with extremely realistic description of the criminals (losers) in a successful enterprise. At the center of the story is a robbery carried out by a group of criminals who, regardless of social position and education essentially losers from the start. The film, which has a distinctly noir style seems natural in a vicious circle of crime in which criminals devour themselves. From the above it can be concluded that the characterization is very good. Taking into account characteristics such as loyalty or duplicity, this would be one of many good noir films.I can only conclude from the criminals in this film are not up, well-planned, robbery. In fact they are not explicitly negative characters. They are quite vulnerable. These are seen when things went wrong. Robbery in the film is on one hand a lifeline for criminals (who could not reach), and on the other side the redemption of the police. Fascinating is the way in which the director merged underground. Rogue and bully, rich and cheeky bookie, an ex-con with a brilliant plan of robbery and well-known lawyer who was left penniless. Each of the characters wants a sort of salvation.Sterling Hayden as Dix Handley is confident, fiery and arrogant bully who just wants to go home. Louis Calhern as Alonzo D. Emmerich is witty and resourceful lawyer, who used all means to get his hands on the spoils and with his mistress fled the country. Sam Jaffe as "Doc" Erwin Riedenschneider is a mastermind and a criminal who acts like he has all the cards up his sleeve. I have to mention Marilyn Monroe as a mistress. Well, beautiful and incredibly hot mistress.Everything seems pretty rotten but basically it is not. This movie is a balanced blend of action and reaction of the same character.

kapelusznik18 ****SPOILERS**** Just released from prison after serving a seven year stretch for breaking and entering, without permission, into a Midwest bank that he and his fellow gangsters, a word he hates to be called, knocked off criminal master-mind Erwin "Doc" Riedenschneider, Sam Jaffe,is back in business planning to rob just for starters a city jewelry store's safe of a cool $500,000.00 in hot ice. Being the brains of this operation "Doc" needs three more associates to help him pull this caper off a driver the hunchback feline lover Gus, James Whitmore, a top notch safe cracker caring family man Louis Ciavelli, Anthony Caruso, and cool and level headed hit-man the sick & degenerate gambler Dix Handley, played by the not so "Sterling" Sterling Hayden, to pull this all off. And not end up getting caught by the police with his pants pulled way down!The hitch to "Doc's" perfect crime in that he needs $50,000.00 in expense money to pull it all off and that's where mob lawyer or mouth-piece the "Right & and not so Honorable" shyster Alonzo D. Emmerich,Louis Calhern, comes in. Alonzo is not only to provide the 50 G' s but also with his mob connections fence the jewels for as much as half of their value! There's just one big problem in all this in that "Doc" and his fellow crooks have completely overlooked. Alonzo is flat broke, on women & horses, and doesn't have the cash- Much less a pot to pi** in- to get this "Perfect Crime" off the ground or on its feet. This becomes evident to "Doc" and the boys-Dix Gus & Ciavelli-after the job was pulled with Ciavelli in critical condition by being shot by a security guard during the break in. With a sweaty Alonzo planning to double-cross "Doc" and the boys with the help of fellow two timing hood Bob Brannom,Brad Dexter, his plans backfires with an into tuned on to what's going on Dix blasts Brannom into the world beyond with Dix getting hit from a stray bullet from Bannom's gun as well.***SPOILERS*** It doesn't take long for the police to find Bannom's body, that Alonzo dumped into the Ohio River, and trace him back to Alonzo's pad where he spent his last hour on earth before he was iced by Dix. A now panic stricken Alonzo using his personal squeeze the clueless in what's going on Algela Phinlay, Marilyn Monroe,whom he's also her sugar daddy or Uncle Don to serve as an alibi for him in being far far away from the murder scene. Angela soon breaks down-in her facing time behind bars-and spills the beans on Uncle Don who, in seeing the light or 2 to 5 years behind bars, then excuses himself and goes into his office and , before anyone can stop him, blows his brains out!As for "Doc" he takes it on the lamb with a $100.00 cab ride to Cleveland, to attend the Republican National Convention no less, but stops at a diner to cool his heels and play the a couple of songs on the jukebox and is caught by a couple of state troopers who were tipped off that he'd be there. With Gus arrested in a police road block it's only the badly wounded Dix who's now on the loose or lamb but with him on the point of bleeding to death he doesn't have that long to go anyway. With Dix ending up driven by his girlfriend "Doll" Conovan, Jean Hagen, to his home in Kentucky blue grass country where he lives just long enough to see both the horses as well as get a whiff of the sweet and pungent smell the horse manure that he used to pitch for a living that he loved so much.