Asphalt-Dschungel (1950)

Asphalt-Dschungel: Directed by John Huston. With Sterling Hayden, Louis Calhern, Jean Hagen, James Whitmore. A major heist goes off as planned, but then double crosses, bad luck and solid police work cause everything to unravel.

“I am a fan of film noir, owning many of them, and this one is right about at the top of the list and climbing each time I view it. It might even have passed Double Indemnity for the number one spot. Itu0026#39;s that good.u003cbr/u003eu003cbr/u003eFor anyone who has not seen it: the poster art and the video/DVD cover are both misleading. They usually feature Marilyn Monroe in publicizing this movie, but she only has a small role. Many times they feature Monroe, Jean Hagen and Sterling Hayden all together….and those three are never on screen at the same time. My point being: what you see on the outside is not whatu0026#39;s on the inside.u003cbr/u003eu003cbr/u003eHayden is the star of the film but Sam Jaffe and Louis Calhern are not far behind. In fact, the more I watch this film, the more I see the latter two as the real stars here, and I especially have begun to appreciate the great acting by Calhern in here.u003cbr/u003eu003cbr/u003eActually, everyone performs at a very high level. The diverse and interesting characters are really fun to watch, one of the big reasons I rate this film so high. Hayden, with his big body and tough demeanor, was perfect for film noir. He is a legitimate tough guy, nobody to fool with. Jaffe was fascinating as the little German u0026quot;doctoru0026quot; but until I got the DVD and put on the English subtitles, I never understood all his dialog, which is terrific, and u0026quot;Docu0026quot; is my favorite character in this film. Kudos also go to James Whitmore and Marc Lawrence for great supporting role performances.u003cbr/u003eu003cbr/u003eThe two women, Hagen and Monroe, also do their bits nicely. I never understood people who criticized Monroeu0026#39;s acting. I thought she was pretty good right from the start, with this film as an example. I also liked seeing her thin and in shape. u003cbr/u003eu003cbr/u003eThis movie is a gritty, tough, no-nonsense crime story concerning a jewel robbery where things go wrong and eventually does everybody in. Actually, it isnu0026#39;t just a botched robbery that ruins some of them – itu0026#39;s character weakness, from greed to sexual lust.u003cbr/u003eu003cbr/u003eu0026quot;You reap what you sowu0026quot; could be a moral of this story.”