There are plenty of people in contemporary America who claim that the wave of school shootings and similar violent incidents should be blamed on movies, TV, computer games and other media that allegedly instigate violent tendencies and other forms of social pathology among the young audience. Such notions might be true and false, but they aren't very original. Many decades ago, long before TV and the internet, there were scholars who used to study the influence of films and popular culture on the formation of criminal personalities. One of them was the author of a criminology textbook I read many years ago. He thought that movies indeed could instigate criminal behaviour and he named one anecdote as an example. Two young boys robbed a jewellery store and went into a life of crime after watching The Asphalt Jungle, the 1950 caper drama by John Huston. I find this anecdote rather unbelievable, because the film happens to be one of the classics of film noir and an undisputed mother of all 'criminal enterprise going bad' movies.
The plot, based on the novel by W.R. Burnett, is set in an unnamed big city somewhere in the American Midwest and follows a group of different people engaged in various criminal activities. 'Doc' Riedenschneider (played by Sam Jaffe) is a criminal who became an underworld legend because of his methodically planned heists. After being released from prison, he wants to put one of his old plans – robbery of a jewellery store – into action, but he needs personnel and someone to finance the operation. After being approached by Alonzo P. Emmerich (played by Louis Calhern), a lawyer with criminal connections, 'Doc' begins assembling his crew. The safecracker is Louis Ciavelli (played by Anthony Caruso), who accepts the job because he wants to feed his family. The 'muscleman' is Dix Handley (played by Sterling Hayden), a violent street mugger who wants to pay his gambling debts and the getaway driver is Gus Minissi (played by James Whitmore), a hunchback and Dix's only friend. The heist, although methodically executed, goes bad, and in the end, the criminals themselves are in danger of being robbed. It turns out that Emmerich entered into this business because he was flat broke and he wants to steal the loot for himself.
The Asphalt Jungle should be distinguished from many other film noirs because of the treatment it gives to crime and the criminal underworld. Unlike many films with the same subject that treat criminals like utter villains, this film, scripted by Huston and Ben Maddow, goes to great lengths to explore such characters and their ulterior motivations. As a result, The Asphalt Jungle is one of the more realistic films of the genre. Criminals are portrayed as people not very different from 'normal' law-abiding citizens; they share the same hopes, dreams and fears like the rest of us, but, most importantly, they all have very human and understandable flaws. And those flaws, and not their inherent evilness, are responsible for the wrong choices that would lead them to a life of crime. Huston condemns those choices and shows the comeuppance his characters would get, but he still feels the need to show some sympathy and even pity for them.
Those characters are probably the most important element of the film, and Huston was very lucky to have great acting talent at his disposal when he made this film. Each of them was almost perfect for the role, always revealing the fatal flaw of their characters in subtle, but effective details. Sterling Hayden is great as a street hooligan who wants to leave the filthy city streets for the clean, open air of a rural home. James Whitmore's getaway driver went into a life of crime because of his physical deformity. Louis Calhern plays probably the best role of his career – the aura of a cultivated, self-confident and respected legal professional, used during contacts with his criminal clients and associates, is just a mask under which he hides the real character of a womanising weakling. It was a real spectacle to see how Calhern gradually removes this mask as the movie approaches its conclusion. But, even such an utterly crooked and pathetic individual is worthy of pity since he showed some conscience when dealing with his old, sick wife. Probably the best character is the one who is the most enigmatic of them all – Sam Jaffe plays a criminal mastermind who gives a positive reference to the expression 'professional criminal'. His Riedenschneider is a model of an utterly business-like, emotionless, intelligent yet very charming criminal; his professionalism, disdain towards violence, temperance and even gentleman's manners makes us wonder why such a character chose a life of crime in the first place; the answer is very discreetly hinted at in one of the last scenes of the film.
The other actors are also good, like Jean Hagen in the role of Dix's trusted girlfriend. Marilyn Monroe, on the other hand, is very good as Emmerich's bimbo mistress, but that role, being her first big break in Hollywood, haunted her later career with its stereotypes. Huston as director is in his prime, utilising the script and the acting talent to their fullest. The pacing of the film is superb, the plot moves very quickly despite the lack of action. The dark, urban scenery and almost exclusive use of interiors is also very effective in creating the atmosphere of depression, anxiety and final doom that awaits its protagonists.
Probably the only flaw of the film, and a very minor and debatable flaw, is the presence of Police Commissioner Hardy (played by John McIntire), a character whose moral virtue and crime-fighting determination looks somewhat artificial and put in this film only to counter-act the motive of police corruption, quite bold for 1950s Hollywood. But, even such a one-dimensional character is played by a good actor and his lines stick long in the memory (although they look more appropriate for Sidney Lumet's dramas about moral ambiguities in law enforcement).
Perhaps only a small step away from perfection, The Asphalt Jungle is one of the best films ever made, and its greatness could be witnessed by the fact that many films in the last half-century were inspired by it, but very few came even close to its quality.
RATING: 9/10 (++++)
(Note: The text in its original form was posted in Usenet newsgroup rec.arts.movies.reviews on October 10th 1999)
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Movie URL: https://www.themoviedb.org/movie/16958-the-asphalt-jungle Critic: AAA
