The Asphalt Jungle

Starring:Sterling Hayden, Louis Calhern, Jean Hagen, James Whitmore, Sam Jaffe, John McIntire, Marc Lawrence, Barry Kelley, Anthony Caruso, Teresa Celli, Marilyn Monroe, William 'Wee Willie' Davis, Dorothy Tree, Brad Dexter, John Maxwell (IV), Pat Flaherty, Joseph Darr Smith, Wilson Wood, Gene Evans, Eloise Hardt
Director: John Huston
Studio: Warner Home Video
Product Type: DVD

Amazon.com

Some boxed sets claim to be definitive, but are haphazardly selected. Not this one. Four of the five titles here can legitimately lay claim to being essentials in the film noir canon, and the fifth, The Set-Up, is a terrific boxing picture with a strong noir atmosphere. If you're a fan of noir--or have no idea what it's all about--this collection is a treat.

Of course, none of these movies were made as "film noir." The term was coined later by French critics to describe the moody, anxious feel of postwar American movies, especially the genre that highlighted duplicitous dames and susceptible men lost in the criminal jungle. Indeed, the title The Asphalt Jungle conveys the edgy urban arena of these pictures. That film is John Huston's masterly 1950 account of a heist, with Sterling Hayden the disenchanted, noirish hero. Joseph H. Lewis's Gun Crazy (1949) is one of the most supercharged (and sexually perverse) of noir films, with John Dall and Peggy Cummins as young criminals in love. Murder, My Sweet (1944) is a straight adaptation of Raymond Chandler's novel Farewell, My Lovely. Amid the film's shadowy chiaroscuro, former musical comedy star Dick Powell makes a career-changing transition as Chandler's private dick, Philip Marlowe. Out of the Past puts Robert Mitchum (perhaps the quintessential noir actor) in trouble with gangster Kirk Douglas, complicated by classic femme fatale Jane Greer. Jacques Tourneur provides the evocative direction. And The Set-Up plays out an ingenious boxing tale in "real time," superbly enacted by (former boxer) Robert Ryan. --Robert Horton

Customer Reviews:

Film Noir Classic Collection Vol 1.......2007-01-16

The product is exactly as described.
The picture quality is excellent.
I have no hesitation in recommending this product to any propective purcher

If You Want One Film Noir Collection, This is the One........2006-10-11

If you want to buy one film noir collection, this "Film Noir Classic Collection, Volume 1" from Warner Brothers is the one to get. These are all 5-star films. "The Asphalt Jungle", "Gun Crazy", "Murder, My Sweet", and "Out of the Past" are top-notch films from the height of the film noir movement 1944-1950, each representing at least one iconic film noir motif. "The Set-Up" is not film noir, but it's brilliant nonetheless. All of the films in this collection are accompanied by audio commentaries that vary in quality and focus but are worthwhile for film noir buffs. A better sampler of crime films from Hollywood's Golden Era could not have been assembled.

"The Asphalt Jungle" (1950) is a steadily paced, thoughtful heist film. The requisite crew of mastermind, safecracker, driver, stick-up man, and financier are assembled to pull a grand jewel heist. Complex characters and themes make this a great deal more than a typical heist flick. Based on the novel by W.R. Burnett and directed by John Huston, "The Asphalt Jungle" was nominated for 4 Academy Awards. The audio commentary is by film historian Drew Casper, and there is a short introduction to the film by John Huston.

"Gun Crazy" (1949) is a Bonnie-and-Clyde-inspired fugitive couple film that might be the most blatant expression of the sexualization of violence in the film noir canon. Sharpshooting femme fatale Annie Laurie Starr lures her equally "gun crazy" nice-guy husband Bart into a life of crime. Their "amour fou" is irrational but, at the same time, completely fascinating. The audio commentary is by film critic Glenn Erikson.

"Out of the Past" (1947) typifies the noir style so elegantly and in so many ways. Retired private detective Jeff Bailey has settled down to a quiet life in a small town when his past comes back to haunt him. Years before, he was hired by a wealthy gambler in New York to track down the man's errant mistress Kathie. But Jeff fell head over heels for the beautiful, duplicitous Kathie, and now both the lady and her lover insist on his loyalty. Actors Robert Mitchum and Jane Greer make a striking pair, accented by beautiful low-key light. The audio commentary is by film noir historian James Ursini.

"Murder, My Sweet" (1944) exemplifies labyrinthine plots in the style of Raymond Chandler, upon whose novel the film is based. Private detective Philip Marlowe finds that two of his cases may be related when a quest to find the girlfriend of an insistent thug and a case of missing jewels lead him around in circles but always to Mrs. Helen Grayle, the lady whose jewels went missing. The audio commentary is by film noir historian Alain Silver.

"The Set-Up" (1949) is not film noir, but an introverted character drama starring Robert Ryan as a boxer past his prime, clinging to hopes of moderate success in the ring. "The Set-Up" is perhaps best remembered for being shot in real time, including15-minutes in the ring. With a beautiful naturalistic visual style and a subdued, sympathetic performance from Robert Ryan, "The Set-Up" is one of the most memorable boxing films made. The audio commentary is by directors Robert Wise and Martin Scorsese, who were recorded separately.

"You're not a detective, you're a slot machine. You'd slit your own throat for six bits plus tax.".......2006-08-21

From Warner Home Video comes the Film Noir Classic Collection, Volume 1, featuring, in no particular order, the following films...

The Asphalt Jungle (1950), directed by John Huston and starring Sterling Hayden as a streetwise hooligan hired on as muscle for a big-time heist, caught in the middle when things go seriously sour. The picture, presented in fullscreen (1.33:1), looks very good, limited to a few, very minor flaws, and the Dolby Digital audio, available in both English and French, comes across sharp and clean. There is a so-so commentary track featuring author/film noir specialist Drew Casper with co-star James Whitmore, along with a theatrical trailer, an introduction by director John Houston (0:49), and subtitles in English, Spanish, and French.

Gun Crazy (1949) aka Deadly Is the Female, directed by Joseph H. Lewis and starring John Dall and Peggy Cummins as a pair of pistol packing newlyweds who embark on a life of crime because it's a hell of a lot easier (and exciting) than actually working for a living, that is at least until the Johnny Law makes the scene...the picture, presented in fullscreen (1.33:1), looks very good, limited to a few, very minor flaws, and the Dolby Digital audio is sharp and clean. There is a commentary track featuring author/film noir specialist Glenn Erickson, along with subtitles in English, Spanish, and French.

Murder, My Sweet (1944), directed by Edward Dmytryk and starring Dick Powell and Claire Trevor, the former playing Private Eye Philip Marlowe, caught up in a mystery involving a stolen jade necklace, a couple of hot tomatoes, and a corpse or two. The picture, presented in fullscreen (1.33:1), looks very clean and clear, and the Dolby Digital mono audio comes across clearly. As far as extras, included is a commentary track with author/film-noir specialist Alain Silver, a rough looking theatrical trailer, and subtitles in English, Spanish, and French.

Out of the Past (1947), directed by Jacques Tourneur and starring Robert Mitchum, Jane Greer, and Kirk Douglas. Mitchum plays a once private eye now fulltime schlub whose past catches up to him after getting too close to a dame he was only supposed to find for a well to do client, and ultimately ends up on the wrong end of a murder investigation. The picture, presented in fullscreen (1.33:1), is strong, and the Dolby Digital mono audio comes across well. As far as extras, included is a commentary track with author/film-noir specialist James Ursini and subtitles in English, Spanish, and French.

The Set-Up (1949), directed by Robert Wise and starring Robert Ryan as an aging boxer who gets crossed by his unscrupulous manager while going for his last, big shot. The picture, presented in fullscreen (1.33:1), comes across well with few, if any, noticeable flaws, and the Dolby Digital mono comes through cleanly. As far as extras, there's an audio commentary track featuring director Robert Wise and Martin Scorsese, along with subtitles in English, French, and Spanish.

While each film in this set is outstanding in its own right, my personal favorites are The Asphalt Jungle and Murder, My Sweet.

Cookieman108

By the way, if you dig on these, you might want to check out the other DVD sets in the series, listed below...and the quote I used for the title of this review came from the film Murder, My Sweet.

Film Noir Classics Collection, Volume 2
Born to Kill (1947), Clash by Night (1952), Crossfire (1947), Dillinger (1945), The Narrow Margin (1952).

Film Noir Classics Collection, Volume 3
Border Incident (1949), His Kind of Woman (1951), Lady in the Lake (1947), On Dangerous Ground (1952), and The Racket (1951). This set also includes a bonus disc which includes a handful of short features

5 of the Best.......2006-08-18

Excellent choice of movies, either as intro to Noir, or for the aficionado who can recite the lines and anticipate every scene.Through the cynical postwar eyes of writers and directors like Huston and Tourneur, bleak views of human behavior are handled with style and wit, and the denouement of criminal behavior comes from the moment of conscious choice to treat people with contempt.
Superb.

Black & White rarely looks and sounds this good.......2006-01-26

I jump-started my personal noir collection with this box. I can't say enough about these movies -- all 5 are classics. I will give THE SET-UP special attention since it is unique. Told in almost real-time, it's a fascinating boxing/mobster/underdog drama.

Average customer rating:

A real gem
darkness at the break of noon
Noir heist film!
Huston Assembles the Perfect Crooks for the Almost Perfect Crime
"One way or another, we all work for our vice."

The Asphalt Jungle
Starring: Sterling Hayden , Louis Calhern , Jean Hagen , James Whitmore , and Sam Jaffe
Director: John Huston
Manufacturer: Warner Home Video
ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: DVD

Crime | Action & Adventure | Genres | DVD | Video

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Similar Items:

The Killing
Out of the Past
Clash by Night
Double Indemnity (Universal Legacy Series)
Murder, My Sweet

ASIN: B000244EWO
Release Date: 2004-07-06

Amazon.com essential video

The dark urban world of The Asphalt Jungle is one of the essential destinations in film noir, but be warned: despite tough guy Sterling Hayden's dreams of bucolic escape, there is no way out. John Huston directed this superbly calibrated crime classic, which displays his usual wry appreciation of fringies and down-and-outers. This time the task for Huston's eccentric ensemble is a jewel robbery, which--this being a Huston film--can't possibly work out as well as its plan. The cast includes Sam Jaffee, indelible as a criminal mastermind, and the pre-stardom Marilyn Monroe. Hayden plays the kind of mug he would revisit in Stanley Kubrick's The Killing, which is an informal homage to this film. And the film's look is definitive: both artful and gritty, it creates a noir landscape that traps its people just as surely as the tar pits trapped the dinosaurs. No wonder they call it noir. --Robert Horton

Customer Reviews:

A real gem.......2007-06-25

This movie is fabulous. It's not only well acted, but the story and the lighting (or lack of) makes this one of my favorite movies from this time period. Hayden (Dix) is one terrific actor - watch for the niceties when he is talking with Jean Hagen (Doll). One to be watched over and over as you catch new things upon reviewing. Huston's characters have big plans that are improbable from the start.
See Hayden in The Killing (1956) directed by Kubrick.

darkness at the break of noon.......2006-12-05

one of the finest noir films, with a nihilist point of view thru the lens of the great john huston, temporarily relocated at mgm between his days at warners and his longest period as an independent filmmaker. set against a gritty anonymous city, an assortment of failures try to pull off one career-making heist, and of course fail miserably. but thats only the groundwork for some insightful character studies by the likes of sterling hayden and a corps of familiar faces. as good as they come for this genre.

Noir heist film!.......2006-09-28

John Huston's noir-thriller is also a heist movie. When Doc (Sam Jaffe) gets out of prison, he has a plan for the big heist. He needs financial backing and a crew to help him. Dix (Sterling Hayden) is the muscle, Gus (James Whitmore) the driver, and Emmerich (Louis Calhern) is the financial backer.

Dix is an embittered man whose dream is to buy back the farm his family lost. Doc is a cool customer, genial and intellectual, and always has a plan. Emmerich has a sick wife at home and a hot blonde (Marilyn Monroe) at his cottage by the river. However, crime doesn't pay and each person's vice is their undoing.

This is a fine suspenseful thriller set in gorgeous, highly-contrasted black-and-white. The presence of shadows in each scene and the violent pessimistic script give this film a noir sensibility. Well directed and acted, this film also gives a true flavor of the 1950's.

Huston Assembles the Perfect Crooks for the Almost Perfect Crime.......2006-08-20

As stated in John Huston introduction to the film, this is a film about feeding vices. Each character has a vice that they need to feed. And this is what brings them together.

Doc (Sam Jaffe) has just been released from prison. Before he was nabbed, he had planned a million dollar diamond heist. But since he has been away, he needs to gather a new crew. Emmerich (Louis Calhern) is a sleazy lawyer who has is having an affair with a pretty young thing (Marilyn Monroe). He needs money to keep his doxie happy. Dix (Sterling Hayden) is a thug who has a pension for the horse and a dream to buy back the family horse farm. An ex-girlfriend (Jean Hagen) shows up on his doorstep and he agrees to let her stay awhile.

Everything comes together but on the night of the robbery, things go wrong. The blast from the safe cracking has set off every alarm on the street. The heist is complete but the police are crawling the streets. When one stumbles onto the crooks, Johnny knocks him out but his gun falls and shoots Louis, the safe cracker.

The guys escape but find that Emmerich does not have the money promised for the diamonds. They must wait a few days until Emmerich can gather the money. But the police are already on their tracks.

One by one, they are caught or die. Dix alludes the police but is shot. He goes to his pal Gus (James Whitmore) for help but it is his gal friend that comes through and finds him his means of escape and helps him elude the police.

This film defines film noir heist film. Huston is a master director and once again proves that adventure and thrills are his domain. This was Jaffe's best performance and his one starring role. Sterling Hayden gives a great performance as the tough guy Dix and would refine this character a few years later in Stanley Kubrick's The Killing. But the real finds in this film are Jean Hagen as Dix's girl. She is most famous for her performance as the obnoxious Lola Lamont in Singin' in the Rain. This film shows that she has great dramatic range and she is totally unrecognizable as her future film persona. The other great find is James Whitmore as the diner owner Gus. Whitmore always gives a textured performances but this is a stunning supporting performance. He should have received an Oscar nomination for this.

Films have tried to imitate this film in style and content but rarely come close.

DVD EXTRAS:
Commentary by James Whitmore and film historian Drew Casper

Introduction by John Huston - this is a film reel used to promote the film.

"One way or another, we all work for our vice.".......2006-08-15

In terms of pedigree, The Asphalt Jungle (1950) carries some impressive credentials...based on a novel by W.R. Burnett (Little Caesar, High Sierra, The Great Escape), and co-written and directed by Academy Award winner John Huston (The Maltese Falcon, The Treasure of the Sierra Madre, Prizzi's Honor), the film stars Sterling Hayden (The Killing, Dr. Strangelove) as a roughneck hooligan named Dix Handley. Also appearing is Louis Calhern (Duck Soup), Jean Hagen (Singin' in the Rain), James Whitmore (Them!), Sam Jaffe (The Day the Earth Stood Still), Marc Lawrence (Key Largo), John McIntire (The Street with No Name), Barry Kelley (Force of Evil), Anthony Caruso (Scene of the Crime), Brad Dexter (The Magnificent Seven), and Marilyn Monroe (Gentlemen Prefer Blondes), in a small, but memorable, role.

As the film begins the police are on the city streets in force, looking for a man recently involved in a hold up, the description given by an eyewitness matching that of country bred hooligan Dix Handley (Hayden). Dix is eventually picked up at a diner operated by a hunchbacked associate named Gus (Whitmore), thrown into a three man line-up (check out the small guy in the middle...it's a young Strother Martin), but due to the stink eye Dix gives the witness, it's no surprise he declines to identify Dix as the hold up man. Anyway, seems Police Commissioner Hardy (McIntire) is really cracking down, especially on Detective Lieutenant Ditrich (Kelley), whose precinct has seen an unusually high amount of criminal activity, probably due to Dix and his penchant for holding up local establishments (Dix has a problem betting on the ponies, he never wins), but then again, given Ditrich is on the take with a local book making operation run by greasy, pizza-faced hood named Cobby (Lawrence), there appears to be a number of factors involved. As it turns out, an older man named Doc (Jaffe) has recently been released from prison, is in town looking to put together a crew for a million dollar jewel heist and is in need of three things; operating expenses, personnel, and a means to dispose of the take. Doc contacts Cobby, who puts him in touch with a high priced mouthpiece named Alonzo D. 'Lon' Emmerich (Calhern), who not only agrees to finance the operation, but also to act as a fence for the take. That leaves only one element...the crew. Louis Ciavelli (Caruso) is brought in as a safe cracker, Gus is hired as a driver, and Dix chosen as the hooligan aka the muscle (every good plan needs a hooligan). The heist goes off relatively well, but things quickly fall apart as various circumstances result in a grievous injury to one of the crew, a double cross (including a wild card or two), a murder, and a whole lot of heat from the police, all with Dix caught square in the middle.

In terms of most excellent, edgy noir crime dramas, you really can't go wrong with The Asphalt Jungle, as it fires on all the cylinders from impeccable direction, beautiful cinematography, intricate, detailed story, well developed and diverse characters, and wonderful performances from the top all the way down. While the film runs just shy of two hours, rarely does it become dull or cumbersome, for me at least. There's an incredible amount of complexity in terms of the characters and the caper, enough so to keep the viewer engaged throughout the feature. I thought it really interesting how well planed the heist was, and how well it went off, only to go sour afterwards due to certain weaknesses inherent within some of the participants involved. I did learn a number of things while watching this film, including the following...

1. It's unwise to `bone' a hooligan, especially in front of others (you'll have to watch the film to get the full meaning of this).
2. Sterling Hayden was a true, physical presence.
3. Everyone has their vice, especially criminals, and it's not uncommon for said vice to be the cause of their eventual downfall.
4. Never trust a high priced, over-extended, character deficient mouthpiece, especially one who keeps Marilyn Monroe as a mistress, to play it straight in a criminal enterprise.
5. There's always a weak link in any gang (my money's on the boozehound).
6. Doc's certainly got brains, knowing most of the angles, but his attraction to young girls is really repulsive.
7. A trustworthy hooligan is a vital element to any criminal enterprise.
8. If you're involved in a criminal enterprise and you get seriously wounded, you're really up the creek.
9. Hooligans are like left-handed pitchers in that they all have a screw loose somewhere.
10. Having your drop dead gorgeous mistress refer to you as `uncle' is infinitely creepy.

All in all this a taut, solid, stylistic thriller that stands out from a time when taut, solid, stylistic thrillers were the flavor of the day and definitely worth seeing if only to understand what people mean when they say `They just don't make `em like that anymore' (cause they don't).

The picture, presented in fullscreen (1.33:1), looks very good, limited to a few, very minor flaws, and the Dolby Digital audio, available in both English and French, comes across sharp and clean. There is a so-so commentary track featuring author/film noir specialist Drew Casper with co-star James Whitmore, along with a theatrical trailer, an introduction by director John Houston (0:49), and subtitles in English, Spanish, and French. If you're interested in picking up this DVD, you might want to look into purchasing the Film Noir Classics Collection, Volume 1, a most excellent DVD set, as it includes this film, along with Gun Crazy (1949) aka Deadly Is the Female, Murder My Sweet (1944), Out of the Past (1947), and The Set-Up (1949) which appears to cost significantly less than buying the films individually.

Cookieman108

Average customer rating:

Cool Breeze

Manufacturer: Blax Film
ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: DVD

Hit Man
Trouble Man
Black Shampoo
Gordon's War
Black Gunn

ASIN: B000C0P4HC

Product Description

A remake of John Huston's "The Asphalt Jungle" with an all-black cast. A paroled convict plans to steal $3 million worth of jewels, sell them & use the bread to start a bank to back black businesses. He is assisted by two pals- his half-brother & a preacher who also works as a thief. But the heist ultimately fails. Fashionable '70's violence set against a Los Angeles backdrop with a pulsating soundtrack by Rhythm and Blues legend Solomon Burke.

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