Asphalt Jungle (1950)

Editor's Note Directed by John Huston, THE ASPHALT JUNGLE is considered by many to be the defining film of the crime oeuvre. After many years in prison, Doc (Sam Jaffe), a seemingly over-the-hill and retired (i.e. rehabilitated) criminal decides upon his release to make one last go of it. His attempts at reuniting the old gang come up against the intentions of his partner who intends to start a Kentucky horse farm with his share of the take. Doc's lecherous tendencies for young curvaceous women get him nowhere but delight the viewer with standout performances by Jean Hagen and a lusty Marilyn Monroe. The tremendous character development is aided by Huston and Ben Maddow's script, and Huston's direction. Based on a novel by W.R. Burnett. Remade in 1958 as BADLANDERS, in 1963 as CAIRO and 1972 as COOL BREEZE.

	Jean Hagen
	Marilyn Monroe
	Barry Kelley
	Louis Calhern
	James Whitmore
	Sterling Hayden
	Marc Lawrence
	Sam Jaffe
	John McIntire
	John Huston - Screenwriter
	Ben Maddow - Screenwriter
	Harold Rosson - Director of Photography
	Cedric Gibbons - Production Designer
	W.R. Burnett - Source Writer
	Jack D. Moore - Set Designer
	Edwin B. Willis - Set Designer
	George Boemler - Editor
	Miklos Rozsa - Composer
	Randal Duell - Production Designer
	Arthur Hornblow Jr. - Producer
	John Huston - Director

Uncut
5 stars out of 5 -- "Director John Huston is at the top of his game here, mixing gritty on-street shooting and pulp thriller characters with higher thematic aspirations..." 03/01/2006 p.132

Total Film
4 stars out of 5 -- "Set in an anonymous mid-western city, this grittily shot tale draws on a classic three-act structure: the planning of the jewellery robbery, the operation, and its tragic aftermath." 12/01/2006 p.36