Underworld, U.S.A.

Critics Consensus

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TOMATOMETER

Total Count: N/A

82%

Audience Score

User Ratings: 580

Super Reviewer

Movie Info

Cliff Robertson plays Tolly Devlin, an embittered ex-convict who has spent a lifetime tracking down the men who murdered his father. Desirous of handling matters on his own, Devlin pretends to be loyal to both the Mob and the Government, playing one against the other in hopes of flushing out the killers. He learns that the three surviving assassins are employed by a supposedly charitable "cover" operation known as National Projects. To get what he wants, Devlin ingratiates himself with mob boss (and outwardly solid citizen) Conners (Robert Emhardt). What Robertson didn't count on was falling in love with "Cuddles" (Dolores Dorn), which leads to his own downfall -- but not before justice is served. Producer/director/writer Fuller based Underworld USA on a series of "exposé" articles in The Saturday Evening Post; the film's release fortuitously occurred shortly after that infamous mob convention in Appalachin, New York.

Rating:

NR
Genre:

Classics, Drama
Directed By:

Samuel Fuller
Written By:

Samuel Fuller
In Theaters:

May 13, 1961 wide
On Disc/Streaming:

Oct 27, 2009
Runtime:

99 minutes
Studio:

Sony Pictures Entertainment

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Cast

Cliff Robertson
as Tolly Devlin

Dolores Dorn
as Cuddles

Robert Emhardt
as Earl Connors

Beatrice Kay
as Sandy

Paul Dubov
as Gela

Larry Gates
as Driscoll

Richard Rust
as Gus

Gerald Milton
as Gunther

Allan Gruener
as Smith

David Kent
as Tolly at 12

Tina Pine
as Woman

Tina Rome
as Woman

Sally Mills
as Connie

Robert P. Lieb
as Officer

Neyle Morrow
as Barney

Henry Norell
as Prison Doctor

David Fresco
as Convict

Donald Douglas
as Man

Peter Brocco
as Vic Farrar

Joni Morris
as Jenny

Alan Aaronson
as Boy

Donald Gamble
as Boy

Rickie Sorenson
as Harry

Audrey Swanson
as Mother

Charles Starrett
as Investigator

Tom London
as Drunk

Bob Hopkins
as Drunk

Charles Sterrett
as Investigator

Bernie Hamilton
as Investigator

Jerry Mann
as Cashier

Don Douglas
as Man

James Bacon
as Newspaperman

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Critic Reviews for Underworld, U.S.A.

All Critics (3) | DVD (1)

... like the gangster figures of the 1930s, he sees only himself and the world around him and treats everything/everyone else as a stepping stone or an obstacle.

Dec 5, 2009 | Full Review…

Sean Axmaker
Seanax.com
Even more so than its plot, the film is notable for its very stark, sharp black-and-white look; each shot almost feels like a paper cut.

Oct 29, 2009 | Full Review…

Jeffrey M. Anderson
Combustible Celluloid
Samuel Fuller's revenge crime thriller is shot in the same brisk and violent manner he shoots his war films.

Feb 26, 2005 | Rating: B | Full Review…

Dennis Schwartz
Ozus' World Movie Reviews

View All Critic Reviews (3)

Audience Reviews for Underworld, U.S.A.

Apr 01, 2008

it started out kinda cheesy but i ended up liking this revenge thriller a good deal. cliff robertson plays an ex con who works his way into the underworld to get to the men who killed his father, then finds out getting out isn't as easy as he'd planned. there are some really cold-blooded scenes in this! i sometimes find fuller's style overdramatic for my taste

Stella D Super Reviewer
Jun 08, 2006

[font=Century Gothic]In "Underworld, USA", as a teenager Tolly Devlin witnesses his father being brutally beaten to death by four men and is able to idenify one of the men, Vic Farrar, but will not share the information with Driscoll(Larry Gates) from the district attorney's office. Tolly(Cliff Robertson) grows up to be a small-time thief who is in and out of prison. Eventually, he tracks down Farrar who is dying in a prison infirmary and convinces Farrar to give up the names of the other three men.[/font] [font=Century Gothic][/font] [font=Century Gothic]"Underworld USA" is a good, solid movie about revenge and justice that is occasionally weakened by uneven acting.[/font] [font=Century Gothic][/font] [font=Century Gothic][/font] [font=Century Gothic][color=navy]"The Naked Kiss" starts out with a bald woman, Kelly(Constance Towers), delivering a beating to a man to get the $75 she feels is due to her. Two years later, with a full head of hair, Kelly gets off the bus at Grantville, pretending to be a champagne saleswoman as a front for her mobile prostitution business. She strikes up an acquaintance with the town sherriff, Griff(Anthony Eisley), and they spend the night together at his place but Kelly leaves in the morning. She finds other lodgings and starts a new chapter in her life.[/color][/font] [font=Century Gothic][color=#000080][/color][/font] [font=Century Gothic][color=#000080]"The Naked Kiss" gets off to a great start but the film does not come into its own until late with a particularly disturbing scene. The movie is about the possibility of redemption and how people can change, given the chance.[/color][/font]

Walter M Super Reviewer