The Asphalt Jungle

William Riley Burnett may be the author of the foundation of the gangster genre, Little Caesar, but two decades later he made only a plain raw heist noir. Huston made The Asphalt Jungle as a routine dead movie full of sterile shots and lost existences. All the characters are black-and-white genre templates and their performances are completely devoid of emotion, which is why it is such a joy to watch the few scenes with MM, whose authenticity can wake the dead. (09/28/2021)

Standard-issue John Huston. The Asphalt Jungle may not boast such ornate characters as The Treasure of the Sierra Madre, and the screenplay is hardly surprising with its tired scheme, but it’s still a film-noir of undeniable quality, with a properly constructed atmosphere of rotten criminal souls and with anti-heroes so sympathetic that we are happy to keep our fingers crossed for them even in their desperate struggle against an inevitable fate. The film is dominated by a sense of hopelessness and Huston revels in it, unravelling the twists and turns and intrigues just right so that instead of fizzling out into nothingness with its expected conclusion, the story leaves an emotional trace. I can't say it fully succeeds, but my hungry viewer cells were sufficiently satiated anyway, the expiry date still marks a very durable commodity. 80% (09/23/2015)

John Huston managed to capture the dark atmosphere of the world of crime excellently, creating layers of criminality represented by individual characters here. Marilyn Monroe is beautifully innocent here and maybe it's just as well that she only appears in a supporting role. However, the actors overall carry the well-directed film excellently. Only the pace is sometimes extremely slow. (10/17/2014)

I saw The Asphalt Jungle as part of a television series of noir films, although it is far from being a typical representative of the genre. Rather, it is a classic heist movie with several noir elements. In the early 1950s, it was an obviously above-average film, but today it stands out only for a few four-star scenes, such as the one with the record player, where a single song and a brief enchantment by a girl's charm decide the fate of a great player. The best impression I had was from the characters of the corrupt hedonistic lawyer, Emmerich, and the cunning Doc, the mastermind of the heist. Their actors dealt with the roles brilliantly. On the other hand, Marilyn Monroe repeatedly proved that she was just a pretty face, lacking any acting skills. Unfortunately, the most significant part was given to the sentimental and melodramatic character of the thief Dix, who is trying to return to his roots on a farm in Kentucky and leave his criminal trade behind. In my opinion, this is not to the benefit of the cause, just like the moralistic ending speech of the high-ranking police officer. A true noir would be much more cynical and would work with a sense of bitter disillusionment instead of tear-jerking tragedy. However, what Huston did excellently is the comprehensive portrayal of the social groups that were involved in the American underworld at that time - from ordinary nobodies to corrupt police officers and bosses and background characters. Overall impression: 65%. (09/05/2018)