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MOVIES / ON DVD / THE ASPHALT JUNGLE
The Asphalt Jungle

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The Asphalt Jungle (1950)

96%
100%
91%
N/A
N/A
N/A
96 %
Reviews Counted: 26 Fresh: 25  Rotten:1 Average Rating: 8.5/10
Rated: PG
Runtime: 1 hr 52 mins
Theatrical Release: 03-11-2006
Synopsis:
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... [More]
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. [Less]

Genre: Dramas

Starring: Sterling Hayden, Sam Jaffe, Louis Calhern, Jean Hagen, Marilyn Monroe

Director: John Huston
Screenwriter: Ben Maddow, John Huston
Producer: Arthur Hornblow
Composer: Miklos Rozsa

DVD Info

Release:

Jun 7, 2004

[DVD Details]

DVD Features:

  • Region 1
  • Keep Case
  • Full Frame - 1.37

Audio:

  • Mono - English
  • Mono - French

Reviews

 
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1 - 20 (sorted by date; UK critics are listed first)
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12/30/06 07:36 AM
Empire Magazine
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This tale of a jewel theft gone wrong is notable for its gritty procedural detail and an emphasis on the inner lives of the small time crooks, expertly played by Sterling Hayden and Sam Jaffe.

Full Review | Comment
11/11/06 06:36 AM
Paul Arendt
BBC
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One of The Asphalt Jungle's strengths is that the crims seem about as thick as you suspect they would be in real life: no Cruise or Clooney-style braniac super-athletes here.

Full Review | Comment
11/04/06 05:31 AM
Andrew Pulver
Guardian [UK]
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John Huston’s greatest noir thriller.

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06/24/06 04:18 AM
Geoff Andrew
Time Out
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One of the first films to depict crime from the POV of the deviants rather than the police, this seminal film (arguably Huston's best) had a huge influence on the genre, manifest in the early work of Kubrick--and decades later Tarantino's Reservoir Dogs

Full Review | Comment
04/29/07 05:13 PM
Emanuel Levy
EmanuelLevy.Com
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No review available.

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07/06/05 09:55 AM
Emanuel Levy
EmanuelLevy.Com
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A preeminent example of tough-guy cinema.

Full Review | Comment
05/03/05 05:23 PM
Nick Schager
Lessons of Darkness
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No review available.

| Comment
05/03/05 04:03 PM
Jonathan R. Perry
Tyler Morning Telegraph (Texas)
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Rogue's Gallery noir classic.

| Comment
04/06/05 02:49 AM
Scott Weinberg
eFilmCritic.com
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High-end noir in a low-end world.

Full Review | Comment
11/16/04 07:02 AM
Christopher Smith
Bangor Daily News (Maine)
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Noirish Huston classic with great story, cast.

| Comment
10/30/04 07:25 PM
Steve Crum
Kansas City Kansan
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One of the first caper films told from the criminal's viewpoint.

Full Review | Comment
07/21/04 07:59 AM
Dennis Schwartz
Ozus' World Movie Reviews
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Huston concentrates mostly on the film's performances, but like The Maltese Falcon and The Treasure of the Sierra Madre, he uses space, shadow and a very clever mise-en-scene to physically illustrate the film's themes.

Full Review | Comment
07/20/04 01:40 PM
Jeffrey M. Anderson
Combustible Celluloid
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No review available.

| Comment
04/21/04 07:11 AM
Daniel M. Kimmel
Worcester Telegram & Gazette
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No review available.

| Comment
01/18/04 05:35 PM
Greg Maki
Star-Democrat (Easton, MD)
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No review available.

| Comment
11/14/03 11:17 AM
Carol Cling
Las Vegas Review-Journal
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Among John Huston's most overrated works, only partially redeemed by Jaffe's brilliance and Marilyn's cameo.

| Comment
08/14/03 02:41 PM
Nick Davis
Nick's Flick Picks
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Often copied but never equaled.

Full Review | Comment
07/30/03 05:11 PM
TV Guide's Movie Guide
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N/R

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05/20/03 05:15 PM
Bosley Crowther
New York Times
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They don't get more noir than this.

| Comment
04/27/03 10:14 AM
Andrea Chase
Killer Movie Reviews
1 - 20 (sorted by date; UK critics are listed first)
Text View | 1 2
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