Barnes & Noble

Lust, greed, and corruption lurk around every corner in director John Huston's The Asphalt Jungle, the definitive caper movie. The film distinguishes itself from other examples of the genre not merely through its intricate plotting but in the complex web of relationships it portrays among cops and criminals alike. Depth of characterization is Huston's strong suit, and it shows: Every role is brilliantly cast; every performance a gem. A clear standout, though, is Sam Jaffe, who portrays the scheme's elderly mastermind as a cross between a German psychoanalyst and a Zen master. He's the calm at the center of the storm, but with a taste for life's pleasures, notably young girls. Noteworthy also is Louis Calhern as a high-priced lawyer whose fancy clothes and even fancier manners conceal a young mistress (Marilyn Monroe), an empty bank account, and feet of clay. But the moral center of the story is a low-rent hoodlum played by the inimitable Sterling Hayden. Hayden's screen presence is stunning, and despite his predominantly B-movie career, he must rank among the most compelling American screen actors of the century. His fiery-eyed glare has the intensity of divine judgment here, single-handedly lifting The Asphalt Jungle to the level of classical tragedy. And while there are traces of sentiment in the film, they quickly yield to a more detached observation of characters whose destinies seem to emerge inevitably from their flaws. This, combined with a powerful sense of irony, places the film squarely in the realm of great American cinema. Gregory Baird

All Movie Guide

The Asphalt Jungle is a brilliantly conceived and executed anatomy of a crime -- or, as director John Huston and scripter Ben Maddow put it, "a left-handed form of human endeavor." Recently paroled master criminal Erwin "Doc" Riedenschneider (Sam Jaffe), with funding from crooked attorney Emmerich (Louis Calhern), gathers several crooks together in Cincinnati for a Big Caper. Among those involved are Dix (Sterling Hayden), an impoverished hood who sees the upcoming jewel heist as a means to finance his dream of owning a horse farm. Hunch-backed cafe owner (James Whitmore) is hired on to be the driver for the heist; professional safecracker Louis Ciavelli (Anthony Caruso) assembles the tools of his trade; and a bookie (Marc Lawrence) acts as Emmerich's go-between. The robbery is pulled off successfully, but an alert night watchman shoots Ciavelli. Corrupt cop (Barry Kelley), angry that his "patsy" (Lawrence) didn't let him in on the caper, beats the bookie into confessing and fingering the other criminals involved. From this point on, the meticulously planned crime falls apart with the inevitability of a Greek tragedy. Way down on the cast list is Marilyn Monroe in her star-making bit as Emmerich's sexy "niece"; whenever The Asphalt Jungle would be reissued, Monroe would figure prominently in the print ads as one of the stars. The Asphalt Jungle was based on a novel by the prolific W.R. Burnett, who also wrote Little Caesar and Saint Johnson (the fictionalized life story of Wyatt Earp). Hal Erickson

Product Details

• UPC: 012569590328
• Source: WARNER HOME VIDEO
• Region Code: 1
• Aspect Ratio: Full Frame
• Presentation: B&W
• Editions: Subtitled, Dubbed
• Time: 1:52:00
• Sales Rank: 16,310

This DVD is also available as part of a box set:

• The Film Noir Classic Collection

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