Review of The Asphalt Jungle

One of John Huston's all-time classics depicts a jewel robbery that the perpetrators see as the perfect heist. Huston gave "The Asphalt Jungle" a cast of lesser known actors, forcing the viewer to focus exclusively on the story. As for the cast, there was probably no better actor for the lead role than Sterling Hayden (a few years away from playing a psychotic general in "Dr. Strangelove"). His scowling face and guttural voice fit the character perfectly. You may have heard that Marilyn Monroe stars in the movie. She does, but only in a supporting role (she wasn't yet a star). Nonetheless, her character IS a hottie.

As in many heist-themed movies, there's the planning and the execution. The execution actually goes by pretty quickly. Sure enough, the characters discover that there's more to come. Thanks to the editing and cinematography, the whole end sequence is one of the most intense in movie history.

All in all, it's definitely a movie that I recommend. The rest of the cast includes Louis Calhern (the ambassador in "Duck Soup"), Jean Hagen (the cacophonous starlet in "Singin' in the Rain"), James Whitmore (the Miracle Gro guy), Sam Jaffe (the doctor in "The Day the Earth Stood Still"), John McIntire (the sheriff in "Psycho"), Marc Lawrence (the hit-man in "Foul Play") and Brad Dexter (one of the Magnificent Seven).

In conclusion, it's no skin off my asphalt.