One of the notable things about The Asphalt Jungle is that it contains what is considered to be Marilyn Monroe's breakout role, albeit a small part. Director John Huston did a screen test with her and wasn't convinced until he watched her leave the room. He later said she was "one of the few actresses who could make an entrance by leaving the room".
Criminal mastermind Doc (Sam Jaffe) is released from prison and plans a huge jewel robbery. He hires safecracker Louie (Anthony Caruso), driver Gus (James Whitmore) and tough guy Dix (Sterling Hayden). Meanwhile fixer Alonzo Emmerich (Louis Calhern), a high-society lawyer, hatches a plan to double-cross them with crooked private detective Bob Brannom (Brad Dexter). The heist doesn't go entirely as planned and the police hunt the gang down.
This was one of the earliest heist films and inspired many later filmmakers. Personally, I think it lost something due to the need throughout most of the 20th century to ensure criminals were punished in films. The decision was made to lessen the police procedural aspect of the original novel making the criminals the main characters. It therefore feels disappointing that the film's protagonists will clearly lose.
There are lots of things that work well here. John Huston was inspired by both film noir and European neorealist films like Open City and Bicycle Thieves. The result is a film that keeps the grime and dark underbelly of film noir but feels like a much more real world that viewers recognise.
The cast work really well here. There were no big names (at the time) cast and so the piece is very much an ensemble. They were also all New York actors who knew each other which led to them both bouncing off each other and trying to outdo each other, an element that works really for a heist movie. They also help to make the characters more convincing than they might otherwise be, giving time for character as well as the plot of the film.
A decent early heist movie that set up the formula nicely.
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