The Asphalt Jungle (Full Screen)

Uncut - 03/01/2006
5 stars out of 5 -- "Director John Huston is at the top of his game here, mixing gritty on-street shooting and pulp thriller characters with higher thematic aspirations..."

Total Film - 12/01/2006
4 stars out of 5 -- "Set in an anonymous mid-western city, this grittily shot tale draws on a classic three-act structure: the planning of the jewellery robbery, the operation, and its tragic aftermath."

You have a lot of time to think when you're locked away seven years. So criminal mastermind Doc conceives what he believes to be the perfect heist.

As in The Maltese Falcon and The Treasure of Sierra Madre, director John Huston explores the feverish grab for the big score and how it unravels in The Asphalt Jungle, a renowned tale of dishonor among thieves whose cast includes Sam Jaffe as Doc and Sterling Hayden as Doc's unflappable gunsel. Louis Calhern portrays Emmerich, the shady lawyer for whom "crime is only a left-handed form of human endeavor." And rising star Marilyn Monroe grabs everyone's attention as the doxie who briefly provides Emmerich with the most gorgeous alibi ever to reach the screen. Welcome to the jungle, film-noir fans!

Directed by John Huston, THE ASPHALT JUNGLE is considered by many to be the defining film of the crime oeuvre. After many years in prison, Doc (Sam Jaffe), a seemingly over-the-hill and retired (i.e. rehabilitated) criminal decides upon his release to make one last go of it. His attempts at reuniting the old gang come up against the intentions of his partner who intends to start a Kentucky horse farm with his share of the take. Doc's lecherous tendencies for young curvaceous women get him nowhere but delight the viewer with standout performances by Jean Hagen and a lusty Marilyn Monroe. The tremendous character development is aided by Huston and Ben Maddow's script, and Huston's direction. Based on a novel by W.R. Burnett. Remade in 1958 as BADLANDERS, in 1963 as CAIRO and 1972 as COOL BREEZE.

Adventure | Betrayal | Crime | Heists | Jewels | Recommended | Scams And Cons | Theatrical Release | Thieves | Thriller