Search - The Asphalt Jungle on DVD

Noir Indeed !

peterfromkanata | Kanata, Ontario Canada | 08/05/2004

(4 out of 5 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."

Huston's Revenge

Vincent Tesi | Brick, New Jersey | 07/12/2000

(5 out of 5 stars)

"When director John Huston was edged out of the production of The Killers, he was determined to create a landmark film that would define and embody professional crimminality. Huston exceeded his expectations. The Asphalt Jungle is the seminal "caper film" which inspired a host of similar pictures. Huston assembled a superb cast where each actor represented a character who possessed a special skill needed to complete a million dollar jewel heist. Sam Jaffe is Doc Reidenschneider-the mastermind, Anthony Caruso is Louie Ciavelli- the safe cracker, Marc Lawrence is Coby- the bookmaker who finances the operation, Sterling Hayden is Dix Handley- the enforcer, James Whitmore is Gus- the wheelman,and Louis Calhern is Emmerich- the corrupt attorney who acts as a fence. The characters, especially Doc, Louie, Dix, and Gus, are sketched with blatant realism. Each character is proud of their status and existence within the underworld. Their careers and reputations hinge on their acceptance by fellow professionals. Huston injects the virtues of trust, loyalty, and respect into their crimminal circle and simultaneously questions the code of honor among the rightousness. Emmerich sums up this dichotomy with a memorable line: "There's nothing so different about them (crimminals). Crime is only a left-handed form of human endeavor." Morality, an issue in most noir films becomes blurred as Emmerich and a graft accepting detective become viewed as figures more contemptable than the crimminals involved in the heist. Sterling Hayden as Dix delivers his most memorable performance. Dix is not just another tough henchman, but a troubled loner trying to ..."wash this city dirt off me". Huston allows viewers unabashed insight into each of his characters. Doc with his predilection for nubile young girls, Gus's conscious awareness of his physical deformity, Louie's familial responsibilities, and Emmerich's moral disintegration add to the film's realism. The Asphalt Jungle is one of the premier black and white films ever made. John Huston's creative energy is evident in every line and scene. Truely American film making at its best."

The Criminal Underworld as Mirror Image.

mirasreviews | McLean, VA USA | 03/21/2005

(5 out of 5 stars)

""The Asphalt Jungle", based on the novel by W. R. Burnett, was director John Huston's farewell to film noir style. His first film noir, 1941's "The Maltese Falcon", also adapted from a novel, was arguably the first film in the noir style, making Huston an essential contributor to the movement. "The Asphalt Jungle"'s apt subtitle, "The City Under the City", pretty well describes what the film is about: the criminal underworld. "The Asphalt Jungle" explores the planning, execution, and aftermath of a great jewel heist by a diverse band of criminals. Doc Riedenschneider (Sam Jaffe) is a caper mastermind who has just been released from prison. Eager to execute a grand jewel heist, Doc immediately visits a bookmaker named Cobby (Marc Lawrence), whom he hopes can connect him to a financier for the project. Cobby introduces Doc to a crooked and apparently wealthy lawyer, Mr. Lon Emmerich (Louis Calhern), who jumps at the opportunity to finance the heist. They hire a boxman, or safecracker, Louis Ciavelli (Anthony Caruso), a driver, Gus (James Whitmore), and a hooligan, Dix Handley (Sterling Hayden) to pull the job. Things might go well if Emmerich were not actually broke and planning to double-cross his partners.

John Huston says in his introduction to the film, "You may not admire these people, but I think they'll fascinate you." In truth, the criminals of "The Asphalt Jungle" are more sympathetic than it's law enforcement agents, who number a corrupt bully and a self-righteous crusader. As Emmerich says in the film, "Crime is only a left-handed form of human endeavor." These characters have aspirations, hopes, and troubles similar to their law-abiding counterparts. And they are foiled by their obsessions. The underworld is a mirror image of the respectable world.

Louis Calhern and Sterling Hayden give memorable, complex performances as Emmerich, a corrupt lawyer whose extravagance and foolishness do everyone in, and as Dix, the farm boy turned stick-up man whose gambling stands in the way of his dreams. Marilyn Monroe has a small role as Emmerich's mistress, Angela. "The Asphalt Jungle" is great classic film noir with intriguing crooks and impressive character acting all around. The film was nominated for 4 Academy Awards in 1951, including best director, cinematography, and screenplay. W. R. Burnett's novel has since been adapted 3 more times (in 1958 as "The Badlanders", in 1963 as "Cairo", and in 1972 as "Cool Breeze"), but John Huston's "The Asphalt Jungle" is still the gold standard.

The DVD (Warner Home Video 2004 release): There is a 45-second introduction to the film by director John Huston, filmed around 1950. The sound quality is very poor, but you can make out what he's saying if you listen carefully. There is an audio commentary by film historian and USC School of Film and Television professor Drew Casper, with excerpts from an archival interview with actor James Whitmore. Dr. Casper is more a film historian than a noir specialist. He places the film in context by discussing the history of MGM studios in the decade preceding "The Asphalt Jungle". He talks about John Huston's directing style and the film's structure. Judging by this and other commentary that I've heard, Casper tends to think more in terms of genre than style. So he's looking at "The Asphalt Jungle" as a caper film more than a noir film. We don't get scene-by-scene or shot-by-shot analysis. Whitmore's interview is interjected where appropriate. He relates anecdotes about getting the job, director John Huston, and the film's cast. There is also a theatrical trailer (2 1/2 minutes). Subtitles for the film are available in English, French, and Spanish. Dubbing is available in French."

"One way or another, we all work for our vice."

cookieman108 | Inside the jar... | 08/15/2006

(5 out of 5 stars)

"In terms of pedigree, The Asphalt Jungle (1950) carries some impressive credentials...based on a novel by W.R. Burnett (Little Caesar, High Sierra, The Great Escape), and co-written and directed by Academy Award winner John Huston (The Maltese Falcon, The Treasure of the Sierra Madre, Prizzi's Honor), the film stars Sterling Hayden (The Killing, Dr. Strangelove) as a roughneck hooligan named Dix Handley. Also appearing is Louis Calhern (Duck Soup), Jean Hagen (Singin' in the Rain), James Whitmore (Them!), Sam Jaffe (The Day the Earth Stood Still), Marc Lawrence (Key Largo), John McIntire (The Street with No Name), Barry Kelley (Force of Evil), Anthony Caruso (Scene of the Crime), Brad Dexter (The Magnificent Seven), and Marilyn Monroe (Gentlemen Prefer Blondes), in a small, but memorable, role.

As the film begins the police are on the city streets in force, looking for a man recently involved in a hold up, the description given by an eyewitness matching that of country bred hooligan Dix Handley (Hayden). Dix is eventually picked up at a diner operated by a hunchbacked associate named Gus (Whitmore), thrown into a three man line-up (check out the small guy in the middle...it's a young Strother Martin), but due to the stink eye Dix gives the witness, it's no surprise he declines to identify Dix as the hold up man. Anyway, seems Police Commissioner Hardy (McIntire) is really cracking down, especially on Detective Lieutenant Ditrich (Kelley), whose precinct has seen an unusually high amount of criminal activity, probably due to Dix and his penchant for holding up local establishments (Dix has a problem betting on the ponies, he never wins), but then again, given Ditrich is on the take with a local book making operation run by greasy, pizza-faced hood named Cobby (Lawrence), there appears to be a number of factors involved. As it turns out, an older man named Doc (Jaffe) has recently been released from prison, is in town looking to put together a crew for a million dollar jewel heist and is in need of three things; operating expenses, personnel, and a means to dispose of the take. Doc contacts Cobby, who puts him in touch with a high priced mouthpiece named Alonzo D. 'Lon' Emmerich (Calhern), who not only agrees to finance the operation, but also to act as a fence for the take. That leaves only one element...the crew. Louis Ciavelli (Caruso) is brought in as a safe cracker, Gus is hired as a driver, and Dix chosen as the hooligan aka the muscle (every good plan needs a hooligan). The heist goes off relatively well, but things quickly fall apart as various circumstances result in a grievous injury to one of the crew, a double cross (including a wild card or two), a murder, and a whole lot of heat from the police, all with Dix caught square in the middle.

In terms of most excellent, edgy noir crime dramas, you really can't go wrong with The Asphalt Jungle, as it fires on all the cylinders from impeccable direction, beautiful cinematography, intricate, detailed story, well developed and diverse characters, and wonderful performances from the top all the way down. While the film runs just shy of two hours, rarely does it become dull or cumbersome, for me at least. There's an incredible amount of complexity in terms of the characters and the caper, enough so to keep the viewer engaged throughout the feature. I thought it really interesting how well planed the heist was, and how well it went off, only to go sour afterwards due to certain weaknesses inherent within some of the participants involved. I did learn a number of things while watching this film, including the following...

1. It's unwise to `bone' a hooligan, especially in front of others (you'll have to watch the film to get the full meaning of this).
2. Sterling Hayden was a true, physical presence.
3. Everyone has their vice, especially criminals, and it's not uncommon for said vice to be the cause of their eventual downfall.
4. Never trust a high priced, over-extended, character deficient mouthpiece, especially one who keeps Marilyn Monroe as a mistress, to play it straight in a criminal enterprise.
5. There's always a weak link in any gang (my money's on the boozehound).
6. Doc's certainly got brains, knowing most of the angles, but his attraction to young girls is really repulsive.
7. A trustworthy hooligan is a vital element to any criminal enterprise.
8. If you're involved in a criminal enterprise and you get seriously wounded, you're really up the creek.
9. Hooligans are like left-handed pitchers in that they all have a screw loose somewhere.
10. Having your drop dead gorgeous mistress refer to you as `uncle' is infinitely creepy.

All in all this a taut, solid, stylistic thriller that stands out from a time when taut, solid, stylistic thrillers were the flavor of the day and definitely worth seeing if only to understand what people mean when they say `They just don't make `em like that anymore' (cause they don't).

The picture, presented in fullscreen (1.33:1), looks very good, limited to a few, very minor flaws, and the Dolby Digital audio, available in both English and French, comes across sharp and clean. There is a so-so commentary track featuring author/film noir specialist Drew Casper with co-star James Whitmore, along with a theatrical trailer, an introduction by director John Houston (0:49), and subtitles in English, Spanish, and French. If you're interested in picking up this DVD, you might want to look into purchasing the Film Noir Classics Collection, Volume 1, a most excellent DVD set, as it includes this film, along with Gun Crazy (1949) aka Deadly Is the Female, Murder My Sweet (1944), Out of the Past (1947), and The Set-Up (1949) which appears to cost significantly less than buying the films individually.

Cookieman108
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