Lee Eisenberg One of John Huston's all-time classics depicts a jewel robbery that the perpetrators see as the perfect heist. Huston gave "The Asphalt Jungle" a cast of lesser known actors, forcing the viewer to focus exclusively on the story. As for the cast, there was probably no better actor for the lead role than Sterling Hayden (a few years away from playing a psychotic general in "Dr. Strangelove"). His scowling face and guttural voice fit the character perfectly. You may have heard that Marilyn Monroe stars in the movie. She does, but only in a supporting role (she wasn't yet a star). Nonetheless, her character IS a hottie.As in many heist-themed movies, there's the planning and the execution. The execution actually goes by pretty quickly. Sure enough, the characters discover that there's more to come. Thanks to the editing and cinematography, the whole end sequence is one of the most intense in movie history.All in all, it's definitely a movie that I recommend. The rest of the cast includes Louis Calhern (the ambassador in "Duck Soup"), Jean Hagen (the cacophonous starlet in "Singin' in the Rain"), James Whitmore (the Miracle Gro guy), Sam Jaffe (the doctor in "The Day the Earth Stood Still"), John McIntire (the sheriff in "Psycho"), Marc Lawrence (the hit-man in "Foul Play") and Brad Dexter (one of the Magnificent Seven).In conclusion, it's no skin off my asphalt.

chaswe-28402 Many reviewers of Rififi said it followed The Asphalt Jungle. True, in several ways. Somehow, TAJ wasn't as good as Rififi. Copies can be inferior, but not in this case. TAJ doesn't fully deserve the wild praise it's been getting from many reviewers on this site.Why is this ? Hard to say. Perhaps it's because the characters in Rififi are more focused and better developed, therefore easier to empathize with. The only really enjoyable actor in TAJ is Louis Calhern. His performance is genuinely subtle. Sam Jaffe isn't bad, but he's slightly one-note. His fixation on pin-ups is simplistic and basically unconvincing. Jules Dassin, as César "le Milanais", was more plausible. Sterling Hayden doesn't act in any of his films. He just is, and he's always the same, although with undoubted presence. The girls were over-the-top. The slangy dialogue is over-wrought, and sounds badly dated.Still, it's worth a watch. I watched it maybe 6 or 7 years ago, and again tonight. All I remembered was Doc's girl obsession, and Dix's final meeting with the horses in the paddock at the end. I was surprised by how good Calhern was, second time around.

elvircorhodzic THE ASPHALT JUNGLE is a film with extremely realistic description of the criminals (losers) in a successful enterprise. At the center of the story is a robbery carried out by a group of criminals who, regardless of social position and education essentially losers from the start. The film, which has a distinctly noir style seems natural in a vicious circle of crime in which criminals devour themselves. From the above it can be concluded that the characterization is very good. Taking into account characteristics such as loyalty or duplicity, this would be one of many good noir films.I can only conclude from the criminals in this film are not up, well-planned, robbery. In fact they are not explicitly negative characters. They are quite vulnerable. These are seen when things went wrong. Robbery in the film is on one hand a lifeline for criminals (who could not reach), and on the other side the redemption of the police. Fascinating is the way in which the director merged underground. Rogue and bully, rich and cheeky bookie, an ex-con with a brilliant plan of robbery and well-known lawyer who was left penniless. Each of the characters wants a sort of salvation.Sterling Hayden as Dix Handley is confident, fiery and arrogant bully who just wants to go home. Louis Calhern as Alonzo D. Emmerich is witty and resourceful lawyer, who used all means to get his hands on the spoils and with his mistress fled the country. Sam Jaffe as "Doc" Erwin Riedenschneider is a mastermind and a criminal who acts like he has all the cards up his sleeve. I have to mention Marilyn Monroe as a mistress. Well, beautiful and incredibly hot mistress.Everything seems pretty rotten but basically it is not. This movie is a balanced blend of action and reaction of the same character.

kapelusznik18 ****SPOILERS**** Just released from prison after serving a seven year stretch for breaking and entering, without permission, into a Midwest bank that he and his fellow gangsters, a word he hates to be called, knocked off criminal master-mind Erwin "Doc" Riedenschneider, Sam Jaffe,is back in business planning to rob just for starters a city jewelry store's safe of a cool $500,000.00 in hot ice. Being the brains of this operation "Doc" needs three more associates to help him pull this caper off a driver the hunchback feline lover Gus, James Whitmore, a top notch safe cracker caring family man Louis Ciavelli, Anthony Caruso, and cool and level headed hit-man the sick & degenerate gambler Dix Handley, played by the not so "Sterling" Sterling Hayden, to pull this all off. And not end up getting caught by the police with his pants pulled way down!The hitch to "Doc's" perfect crime in that he needs $50,000.00 in expense money to pull it all off and that's where mob lawyer or mouth-piece the "Right & and not so Honorable" shyster Alonzo D. Emmerich,Louis Calhern, comes in. Alonzo is not only to provide the 50 G' s but also with his mob connections fence the jewels for as much as half of their value! There's just one big problem in all this in that "Doc" and his fellow crooks have completely overlooked. Alonzo is flat broke, on women & horses, and doesn't have the cash- Much less a pot to pi** in- to get this "Perfect Crime" off the ground or on its feet. This becomes evident to "Doc" and the boys-Dix Gus & Ciavelli-after the job was pulled with Ciavelli in critical condition by being shot by a security guard during the break in. With a sweaty Alonzo planning to double-cross "Doc" and the boys with the help of fellow two timing hood Bob Brannom,Brad Dexter, his plans backfires with an into tuned on to what's going on Dix blasts Brannom into the world beyond with Dix getting hit from a stray bullet from Bannom's gun as well.***SPOILERS*** It doesn't take long for the police to find Bannom's body, that Alonzo dumped into the Ohio River, and trace him back to Alonzo's pad where he spent his last hour on earth before he was iced by Dix. A now panic stricken Alonzo using his personal squeeze the clueless in what's going on Algela Phinlay, Marilyn Monroe,whom he's also her sugar daddy or Uncle Don to serve as an alibi for him in being far far away from the murder scene. Angela soon breaks down-in her facing time behind bars-and spills the beans on Uncle Don who, in seeing the light or 2 to 5 years behind bars, then excuses himself and goes into his office and , before anyone can stop him, blows his brains out!As for "Doc" he takes it on the lamb with a $100.00 cab ride to Cleveland, to attend the Republican National Convention no less, but stops at a diner to cool his heels and play the a couple of songs on the jukebox and is caught by a couple of state troopers who were tipped off that he'd be there. With Gus arrested in a police road block it's only the badly wounded Dix who's now on the loose or lamb but with him on the point of bleeding to death he doesn't have that long to go anyway. With Dix ending up driven by his girlfriend "Doll" Conovan, Jean Hagen, to his home in Kentucky blue grass country where he lives just long enough to see both the horses as well as get a whiff of the sweet and pungent smell the horse manure that he used to pitch for a living that he loved so much.