The Asphalt Jungle
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DVD details
Actor: James Whitmore, Jean Hagen, Louis Calhern, Sam Jaffe, Sterling HaydenBrand: Warner Brothers
DVD: Region Code 1
Audio: English (Unknown), Dolby Digital 2.0 Mono; English (Subtitled); Spanish (Subtitled); French (Subtitled); English (Original Language), Dolby Digital 2.0 Mono; French (Original Language), Dolby Digital 2.0 Mono; French (Dubbed), Dolby Digital 2.0 Mono
Format: Black & White, Closed-captioned, Dubbed, DVD, NTSC, Subtitled
Picture Format: Academy Ratio, 1.33:1
Running Time: 112 minutes
DVD Release Date: 2004-07-06
Audience Rating: NR (Not Rated)
Model: 65903
Studio: Warner Home Video
Product features:
- Oscar-winning director John Huston's comprehensive and widely-acclaimed Film Noir "The Asphalt Jungle" featured an extensive cast, including Sterling Hayden (later of Dr. Strangelove fame) and an early film performance by Marilyn Monroe. In this Film Noiric, now on DVD, a group of professional criminals put together an elaborate jewel heist, only to have it unravel disastrously (per Film Noir conv
DVD Reviews of The Asphalt Jungle
DVD Review: "One way or another, we all work for our vice."
Summary: 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
Description of The Asphalt Jungle
A MAJOR HEIST GOES OFF AS PLANNED, UNTIL BAD LUCK AND DOUBLECROSSES CAUSE EVERYTHING TO UNRAVEL.Bestsellers in DVD
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