Do you want to see ‘The Asphalt Jungle’?

The Asphalt Jungle (1950)

tomatometer

All Critics
Top Critics

Average Rating: 8.4/10
Reviews Counted: 25
Fresh: 24 | Rotten: 1

No consensus yet.

No Reviews Yet...

Release Date: May 23, 1950 Wide

audience

liked it
Average Rating: 3.9/5
User Ratings: 6,325

My Rating

Added to your Facebook Timeline. — undo

Movie Info

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 crooks together in Cincinnati for a Big Caper. Among those involved are Dix (Sterling Hayden), an impoverished hood who sees the upcoming jewel heist as a means to

Unrated, 1 hr. 52 min.

Drama, Classics

Directed By: John Huston

Written By: Ben Maddow, John Huston

In Theaters: May 23, 1950 Wide

On DVD: Jul 6, 2004

Cast

Sterling Hayden
Dix Handley
Louis Calhern
Alonzo D. Emmerich
James Whitmore
Gus Ninissi
Jean Hagen
Doll Conovan
Sam Jaffe
Doc Erwin Riedenschneid...
Marilyn Monroe
Angela Phinlay
John McIntire
Police Commissioner Har...
Marc Lawrence I
Cobby
Barry Kelley
Lt. Ditrich
Anthony Caruso
Louis Ciavelli
Teresa Celli
Maria Ciavelli
William "Wee Willie" Davi...
Timmons
Dorothy Tree
May Emmerich
Brad Dexter
Bob Brannen
John Maxwell
Dr. Swanson
Benny Burt
Driver
Frank Cady
Night Clerk
John Cliff
Policeman
Henry Corden
William Doldy
Ralph Dunn
Policeman
Pat Flaherty
Policeman
Alex Gerry
Maxwell
Sol (Saul) Gorss
Policeman
Fred Graham
Truck Driver
Don Haggerty
Detective Andrews
Eloise Hardt
Vivian
Strother Martin
Karl Anton Smith
Patricia Miller
Girl
Howard Mitchell
Secretary
Alberto Morin
Eddie Donato
Kerry O'Day
Girl
Raymond Roe
Tallboy
Henry Rowland
Franz Schurz
James Seay
Officer Janocek
Helene Stanley
Jeannie
Ray Teal
Policeman
Bill Washington
Suspect
Judith Wood
Woman
Wilson Wood
Man
Jack Shea
Policeman
Tom Browne Henry
James X. Connery
Tim Ryan
Jack; Police Clerk
Joseph Darr Smith
Reporter

Critic Reviews for The Asphalt Jungle

All Critics (27) | Top Critics (2) | Fresh (25) | Rotten (1) | DVD (7)

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

April 29, 2007 Full Review Source: EmanuelLevy.Com

| Comment

Emanuel Levy

EmanuelLevy.Com Source: EmanuelLevy.Com

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.

November 11, 2006 Full Review Source: BBC

| Comment

Paul Arendt

BBC

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.

November 4, 2006 Full Review Source: Guardian [UK]

| Comment

Andrew Pulver

Guardian [UK]

John Huston's greatest noir thriller.

June 24, 2006 Full Review Source: Time Out

| Comment

Geoff Andrew

Time Out

A preeminent example of tough-guy cinema.

May 3, 2005 Full Review Source: Lessons of Darkness

| Comment

Nick Schager

Lessons of Darkness

Rogue's Gallery noir classic.

April 6, 2005 Comment

Scott Weinberg

eFilmCritic.com

High-end noir in a low-end world.

November 16, 2004 Comment

Christopher Smith

Bangor Daily News (Maine)

Noirish Huston classic with great story, cast.

October 30, 2004 Comment

Steve Crum

Kansas City Kansan Source: Kansas City Kansan

One of the first caper films told from the criminal's viewpoint.

July 21, 2004 Full Review Source: Ozus' World Movie Reviews

| Comment

Dennis Schwartz

Ozus' World Movie Reviews

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.

July 20, 2004 Full Review Source: Combustible Celluloid

| Comment

Jeffrey M. Anderson

Combustible Celluloid

Among John Huston's most overrated works, only partially redeemed by Jaffe's brilliance and Marilyn's cameo.

August 14, 2003 Comment (1)

Nick Davis

Nick's Flick Picks

Often copied but never equaled.

July 30, 2003 Full Review Source: TV Guide's Movie Guide

| Comment

TV Guide's Movie Guide

More Critic Reviews

Audience Reviews for The Asphalt Jungle

View All

I was expecting Dix to start talking about our precious bodily fluids at any moment. Like other noirs, it inspired far better movies, and this one gets a bit too preachy regarding the "greater good" of the police and what not. Ok flick, not Huston's best.

July 31, 2011

Tsubaki Sanjuro

Super Reviewer

John Huston's highly influential heist/noir The Asphalt Jungle resonates so profoundly because of the way its director invests each crew member with personality and motivation. A low-life hooligan with the heart of a farmboy (Sterling Hayden), a German career-con who's really a romantic with a penchant for senoritas,

March 12, 2011

Bob O'Reilly

Super Reviewer

The Asphalt Jungle Quotes

View All

1. Doc Erwin Riedenschneider: One way or another, we all work for our vice.
– Submitted by Kate S (13 months ago)

Submit a Quote from 'The Asphalt Jungle'

A quote can be a single line from one character or a memorable dialog between several characters. Please make your quotes accurate. Quotes will be submitted for approval by the RT staff.

Example:

Luke: Alright. I'll give it a try.
Yoda: No. Try not. Do or do not. There is no try.