Reviews

The Asphalt Jungle is one of those movies that you don't realize just how good it is till long after the credits have rolled. Sure there are some scenes that when you are watching them you know it is classic cinema, such as the heist scene, the scene with the pedophile in the restaurant watching the young girl dance, and the final scene in the rural landscape. But the movie really settles in long after. The cumulative power of the film is impressive.

I loved Marilyn Monroe in this movie. Being the naive idiot that I am, I didn't even realize it was her until I checked on IMDB. I was completely enraptured with her. Now I know what my father and grandfather were talking about all these years. She has a sexual presence unlike any other actress alive or dead. Classic.

Overall, the quintessential heist flick with all that makes a good noir film great: amoral characters, bleak landscapes, claustrophobic camera angles, and women hopelessly in love with tormented men. Great.

This film really moved me in the way the lead characters Keechie and Bowie were portrayed. One of the best scenes is early when Farley Granger (Bowie) is asking Keechie if she has a fella, and if she would like one. It is very well done. Granger does a great job of playing the sweet but troubled young man caught in a jam. A sense of dread overtakes the picture as it moves towards its inevitable tragic conclusion. Overall, get your hands on this one if you can. The studio needs to release a DVD of it, anyone know anything about that?