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The Asphalt Jungle Reviews

1950

70
from 1436 members

The Asphalt Jungle is a brilliantly conceived and executed anatomy of a crime -- or, as director John Huston and scripter Ben Maddow put it, a left-handed form of human endeavor. Recently paroled master criminal Erwin Doc Riedenschneider (Sam Jaffe), with funding from crooked attorney Emmerich (Louis Calhern), gathers several .. Read more

Starring	Marilyn Monroe, Sterling Hayden, Louis Calhern, Sam Jaffe
Director	John Huston
Genres	Drama

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Critic's review of The Asphalt Jungle
View all critics' reviews (4)
- Probably the very first film to show a 'caper' from the criminals' viewpoint (a genre which has since been done to death several times over), this is a clever character study rather than a thriller, extremely well executed and indeed generally irreproacha
- 39010
- - Halliwell's Film Guide
  - 02 Mar 2006 at 15:46
Write your own review »
Most helpful member's review of The Asphalt Jungle
View all members' reviews (11)
- - 3
  - 0
  How it should be done
  
  Must have made a real impact when it first came out and could still serve as a model for todays gangster movies.
  
  It's good to see something with ... read more »
  
  Report this review
- 391373
- [Highly rated reviewer]
  - a customer
  - gloucester
  - 03 Dec 2006 at 14:03
Most recent members' reviews of The Asphalt Jungle
View all members' reviews (11)
- - 0
  - 0
  Not The Blackboard Jungle. A mistake, but...
  
  Ok, it's true. I realised after 2 minutes that I had meant to rent The Blackboard Jungle. But seeing's how it arrived, and these guys took the trouble ... read more »
  
  Report this review
- 1100243
- - always
  - 2 reviews
  - 07 Mar 2012 at 21:51
- - 0
  - 0
  Asphalt Jungle
  
  This was an enjoyable good old-fashioned thriller.
  
  Report this review
- 889103
- - Miriam
  - Ealing, London
  - 05 May 2010 at 00:27
- - 2
  - 0
  The Asphalt Jungle
  
  Along with Kubrick's The Killing, this is surely the greatest heist movie ever. Razor sharp black and white camera work,an intelligent literate script,and ... read more »
  
  Report this review
- 755513
- - a customer
  - Glasgow
  - 11 May 2009 at 00:40
- - 0
  - 1
  the asphalt jungle
  
  very good well worth watching an old favourite
  
  Report this review
- 677054
- - a customer
  - Hastings
  - 24 Dec 2008 at 10:27
- - 0
  - 0
  Customer Review
  
  This is a bit of a gem in terms of heist films. Whether or not it really invented the genre is not important. What is worth considering is that it has a really ... read more »
  
  Report this review
- 582192
- - a customer
  - UK
  - 23 Jun 2008 at 15:22
- - 2
  - 0
  top notch thriller
  
  A good mix of crime thrills and talk where the crime planner analyses what has happened and probably why in a lot more plausible manner than you get in films ... read more »
  
  Report this review
- 462621
- - itstinks
  - 573 reviews
  - North of Reading
  - 31 Jul 2007 at 19:55
- - 1
  - 0
  Film Noir
  
  Sums up the run down post war atmosphere of town centre life. Interesting hints of the beginnings of relationships between people otherwise made cynical by ... read more »
  
  Report this review
- 423509
- - MarkCh
  - 5 reviews
  - Cambridge
  - 24 Mar 2007 at 16:40
- - 3
  - 0
  How it should be done
  
  Must have made a real impact when it first came out and could still serve as a model for todays gangster movies.
  
  It's good to see something with ... read more »
  
  Report this review
- 391373
- - a customer
  - gloucester
  - 03 Dec 2006 at 14:03
- - 0
  - 0
  The Prototype of Heist films
  
  This film must have been quite amazing for its time. crooks with hearts, corrupt cops, best laid plans that fail becasue of human failings. a lot of modern ... read more »
  
  Report this review
- 249498
- - Moby
  - Newcastle
  - 29 May 2006 at 20:01
- - 0
  - 0
  bit disappointing
  
  For a John Huston film, this was a bit of a let down, perhaps it was considered very good in it's day, but I thought the plot and the characters were ... read more »
  
  Report this review
- 246120
- - SAM
  - hemel hempstead
  - 19 May 2006 at 13:58
View all members' reviews (11)

- - 3
  - 0
  How it should be done
  
  Must have made a real impact when it first came out and could still serve as a model for todays gangster movies.
  
  It's good to see something with ... read more »
  
  Report this review
- 391373
- [Highly rated reviewer]
  - a customer
  - gloucester
  - 03 Dec 2006 at 14:03
- - 2
  - 0
  top notch thriller
  
  A good mix of crime thrills and talk where the crime planner analyses what has happened and probably why in a lot more plausible manner than you get in films ... read more »
  
  Report this review
- 462621
- - itstinks
  - 573 reviews
  - North of Reading
  - 31 Jul 2007 at 19:55
- - 2
  - 0
  The Asphalt Jungle
  
  Along with Kubrick's The Killing, this is surely the greatest heist movie ever. Razor sharp black and white camera work,an intelligent literate script,and ... read more »
  
  Report this review
- 755513
- - a customer
  - Glasgow
  - 11 May 2009 at 00:40
- - 1
  - 0
  This film is a must ...
  
  This film is a must see and shows the best of this type of film from the 1950s. Its hoodlums v the authorities and it fairly zips along. Good cast. and the ... read more »
  
  Report this review
- 222745
- - a customer
  - Wallasey, Wirral
  - 22 Mar 2006 at 18:49
- - 1
  - 0
  Film Noir
  
  Sums up the run down post war atmosphere of town centre life. Interesting hints of the beginnings of relationships between people otherwise made cynical by ... read more »
  
  Report this review
- 423509
- - MarkCh
  - 5 reviews
  - Cambridge
  - 24 Mar 2007 at 16:40
- - 0
  - 0
  bit disappointing
  
  For a John Huston film, this was a bit of a let down, perhaps it was considered very good in it's day, but I thought the plot and the characters were ... read more »
  
  Report this review
- 246120
- - SAM
  - hemel hempstead
  - 19 May 2006 at 13:58
- - 0
  - 0
  The Prototype of Heist films
  
  This film must have been quite amazing for its time. crooks with hearts, corrupt cops, best laid plans that fail becasue of human failings. a lot of modern ... read more »
  
  Report this review
- 249498
- - Moby
  - Newcastle
  - 29 May 2006 at 20:01
- - 0
  - 0
  Customer Review
  
  This is a bit of a gem in terms of heist films. Whether or not it really invented the genre is not important. What is worth considering is that it has a really ... read more »
  
  Report this review
- 582192
- - a customer
  - UK
  - 23 Jun 2008 at 15:22
- - 0
  - 0
  Asphalt Jungle
  
  This was an enjoyable good old-fashioned thriller.
  
  Report this review
- 889103
- - Miriam
  - Ealing, London
  - 05 May 2010 at 00:27
- - 0
  - 0
  Not The Blackboard Jungle. A mistake, but...
  
  Ok, it's true. I realised after 2 minutes that I had meant to rent The Blackboard Jungle. But seeing's how it arrived, and these guys took the trouble ... read more »
  
  Report this review
- 1100243
- - always
  - 2 reviews
  - 07 Mar 2012 at 21:51

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Critics' reviews
- Probably the very first film to show a 'caper' from the criminals' viewpoint (a genre which has since been done to death several times over), this is a clever character study rather than a thriller, extremely well executed and indeed generally irreproacha
- 39010
- - Halliwell's Film Guide
  - 02 Mar 2006 at 15:46
- A classic heist movie, and one of Huston's finest, this adaptation of WR Burnett's novel in which a gang of thieves... read more on Time Out
- 48917
- - Time Out
  - 04 Nov 2008 at 00:19
- A classic crime movie... A tight plot that's enriched by wonderfully crafted characters
- 39976
- - Empire
  - 08 Oct 2007 at 15:24
- A classic heist movie, and one of Hustons's finest
- 39977
- - Time Out
  - 08 Oct 2007 at 15:24

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Buy from Amazon.co.uk

- - Buy
- The Asphalt Jungle
  
  The Asphalt Jungle is a brilliantly conceived and executed anatomy of a crime -- or, as director John Huston and scripter Ben Maddow put it, a left-handed form of human endeavor. Recently paroled master criminal Erwin Doc Riedenschneider (Sam Jaffe), with funding from crooked attorney Emmerich (...