The Asphalt Jungle (1950)

A big time operator (Sam Jaffe) is released from prison and has a plan for a big score. He seeks out a money guy to finance the heist to hire a box man (safe cracker), a driver (James Whitmore), and a thug (Sterling Hayden).

Our money guy (Louis Calhern) has been in a fair number of decent movies. I’m sure our paths will cross again. He was also in a Jungle of the Blackboard variety. Here, his piece on the side is a cusp of famous Marilyn Monroe. She was quite good in the small role.

Even outside the presence of Sterling Hayden, this film bears a strong resemblance to The Killing. Big, complex heist, recruitment of people, complications and double-crossing, then things fall apart. That’s not a spoiler. Bad guys didn’t get away in the 50’s. Between the two, I prefer The Killing. The heist itself was more interesting and I like Hayden in the Boss role. Here he was a hooligan on the spectrum. Jean Hagen (Singin’ in the Rain) played his Doll.

Modern life once again has crept into this historical document. In the interest of law and order, the police chief advocates roughing up suspects and victims alike. When a cop is discovered to be a ‘bad apple’, he monologues how cops, good and bad, are necessary to fight this existential threat that is crime. It was quite strident and very close to the zeitgeist of the day. This isn’t a commentary on the present situation. Law enforcement was extremely different in 1950 and a very complex topic. It was simply a thing that made me go “huh”.

Another theme was the creepy old man. The older Calhern shacking up with the hot Monroe ("young enough to be his granddaughter") is derisively viewed by the police. Another character stares creepily at a teenage girl while she dances. That was borderline uncomfortable. I looked it up. She was twenty during filming. We’re cool. I believe the point was to keep the audience from sympathizing with the criminals too much.

The Asphalt Jungle is an entertaining heist film. It is interesting how 50’s noir has a distinctly different feel than the earlier ones. They feel more grounded in the real world. John Huston’s Maltese Falcon is a landmark in the genre and very different in tone. He would deconstruct the genre, with dubious success, three years later with Beat the Devil, and appear in, but not direct, a landmark of neo-noir with Chinatown. AMRU 4.