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IMDb > The Asphalt Jungle (1950)
The Asphalt Jungle
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The Asphalt Jungle (1950) More at IMDbPro »

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The Asphalt Jungle (1950) -- Trailerfan.com - Trailer (Flash)

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Overview

User Rating:
7.9/10   7,572 votes
MOVIEmeter: ?
Down 8% in popularity this week. See why on IMDbPro.
Director:
Writers:
Ben Maddow (screenplay) and
John Huston (screenplay) ...
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Contact:
View company contact information for The Asphalt Jungle on IMDbPro.
Release Date:
23 May 1950 (USA) more
Genre:
Tagline:
The City Under the City
Plot:
A major heist goes off as planned, until bad luck and double crosses cause everything to unravel. full summary | full synopsis
Plot Keywords:
Awards:
Nominated for 4 Oscars. Another 4 wins & 8 nominations more
NewsDesk:
(6 articles)
The Pleasures of Putting a Team Together
 (From IFC. 18 August 2009, 12:28 PM, PDT)

Rare Monroe Photos Posted Online
 (From WENN. 2 June 2009, 3:05 PM, PDT)

User Comments:
No stars and perfect casting make this a masterpiece more (78 total)

Cast

  (Complete credited cast)
Sterling Hayden ... Dix Handley
Louis Calhern ... Alonzo D. Emmerich
Jean Hagen ... Doll Conovan
James Whitmore ... Gus Minissi
Sam Jaffe ... Doc Erwin Riedenschneider
John McIntire ... Police Commissioner Hardy
Marc Lawrence ... Cobby
Barry Kelley ... Lt. Ditrich
Anthony Caruso ... Louis Ciavelli
Teresa Celli ... Maria Ciavelli

Marilyn Monroe ... Angela Phinlay
William 'Wee Willie' Davis ... Timmons (as William Davis)
Dorothy Tree ... May Emmerich
Brad Dexter ... Bob Brannom
John Maxwell ... Dr. Swanson
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Additional Details

Runtime:
112 min
Country:
Language:
Aspect Ratio:
1.37 : 1 more
Sound Mix:
Mono (Western Electric Sound System)
Certification:
Hungary:14 | Canada:PG (video rating) | Sweden:15 | Australia:PG | Finland:K-16 | Norway:16 (1950) | USA:Approved (PCA #14357) | West Germany:16 | UK:PG (re-rating) (1992) | UK:A (original rating) | Canada:PG (Ontario)
Filming Locations:

Fun Stuff

Trivia:
John Huston originally intended the role of Angela Phinlay for Lola Albright. more
Goofs:
Revealing mistakes: The safe the gang robs has an electronic-eye-alarm along the wall which must be avoided or else the alarm would sound off. Everyone avoids this alarm in the scene except for Dix, who is clearly standing in its way when the gang converses whether they should stay to finish the job or leave prematurely. more
Quotes:
Doc Riedenschneider: One way or another, we all work for our vice. more
Movie Connections:

FAQ

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15 out of 24 people found the following comment useful.
No stars and perfect casting make this a masterpiece, 2 December 2003
Author: manuel-pestalozzi from Zurich, Switzerland

I suppose the only reason why this movie can be purchased on video (not on DVD though, it seems) is the fact that Marilyn Monroe plays a part in it. If I am right, this shows how much the movie industry has to rely on big names. Sometimes this is a real shame. No movie proves this better than Asphalt Jungle.

This caper movie is one of my all time favorites and frankly the best of its genre. Its brilliance lies for me in the fact that no big name of the Hollywood acting community was involved – Monroe was small fries then. Instead John Huston worked with a cast of reliable, mostly very experienced character actors many people will know as "supports" from numerous other movies of the period. And many of those actors probably gave here the best performances of their lives. Everybody is cast dead right, this is what is so magnificent about Asphalt Jungle. The balance is perfect, the chemistry works all ways. Maybe just one miscast actor or actress would have spoiled the whole atmosphere. No one is overacting at any time, and there are many, many very moving moments as one can observe these characters struggling on the sidelines of urban society.

One is always tempted to name an actress or an actor whose performance one liked best in a movie. Here, I could not do it – I liked them all. Yet I want to mention one actor: Louis Calhern. Seldom has a sudden change of mood and countenance in a character had such an impact on me as a viewer.

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