April 2024

Realism With A Master’s Touch: The Asphalt Jungle

This article originally appeared in AC Aug. 1950 The Asphalt Jungle is a tautly-paced drama of the underworld that runs the emotional gamut from harsh brutality to quiet sensitivity. Its plot is based on the familiar chase pattern, but more specifically the pursuit by the law of a group of shady characters involved in a jewel theft. It is the type of a story which, in less skilled hands, might have evolved into a run-of-the-mill melodrama — but favored by the incisive direction of John Huston, the outstanding photography by Hal Rosson, ASC, and top-notch performances by a uniformly excellent cast — the picture emerges not only as bang-up entertainment, but as a very artistic technical achievement as well. “[Huston] wanted Jungle to have...more