The Big Combo (1955)

A police lt. is ordered to stop investigating deadly crime boss Mr. Brown, because he hasn't been able to get any hard evidence against him. He then goes after Brown's girlfriend who despises him, for information instead.

Director:

Joseph H. Lewis (as Joseph Lewis)

Writer:

Philip Yordan (by)

Stars:

Cornel Wilde, Richard Conte, Jean Wallace

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Cornel Wilde	...	Police Lt. Leonard Diamond
Richard Conte	...	Mr. Brown
Brian Donlevy	...	Joe McClure
Jean Wallace	...	Susan Lowell
Robert Middleton	...	Police Capt. Peterson
Lee Van Cleef	...	Fante
Earl Holliman	...	Mingo
Helen Walker	...	Alicia Brown
Jay Adler	...	Detective Sam Hill
John Hoyt	...	Nils Dreyer
Ted de Corsia	...	Ralph Bettini
Helene Stanton	...	Rita
Roy Gordon	...	Audubon
Whit Bissell	...	Doctor (scenes deleted) (as Whit Bissel)
Steve Mitchell	...	Bennie Smith - Boxer

Storyline

Police Lt. Diamond is told to close his surveillance of suspected mob boss Mr. Brown because it's costing the department too much money with no results. Diamond makes one last attempt to uncover evidence against Brown by going to Brown's girlfriend, Susan Lowell.

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Plot Keywords:

gangster | murder | gay | cult film | hearing aid | 

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Taglines:

The Most Startling Story The Screen Has Ever Dared Reveal!

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Genres:

Crime | Drama | Film-Noir | Thriller

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Certificate:

Not Rated

Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English Swedish

Release Date:

13 February 1955 (USA)

Also Known As:

The Hoodlum

Filming Locations:

Kling Studios, Los Angeles, California, USA

Company Credits

Production Co:

Security Pictures,Theodora Productions

Technical Specs

Runtime:

87 min

Sound Mix:

Mono (RCA)

Color:

Black and White

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

One of the very first American films to imply that women derive pleasure from receiving oral sex. The woman in question was Jean Wallace, who insisted that the scene be shot when her husband (and one of the film's co-producers) Cornel Wilde wasn't on set that day. Wilde was not completely pleased with the scene, blaming director Joseph H. Lewis for taking advantage of his wife. Nevertheless, the scene now lives on as an iconic example of the cinema breaking taboos.

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Goofs

When John Hoyt as Dreyer reaches into his desk for a gun, the contents of the desk on the insert close-up do not match the contents on the master shot.

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Quotes

Alicia Brown: I'd rather be insane and alive, than sane... and dead.

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Connections

Featured in The Rules of Film Noir (2009)

User Reviews

Classic and fascinating gangster movie

The storyline centers about a persistent cop(Cornel Wilde)who tracks down a mobster(Richard Conte) and his henchmen (Brian Donlevy,Lee Van Cleef and Earl Holliman). He's helped by the gangster's girlfriend and one deputy(Robert Middleton).

The movie has likeness to noir cinema of the 40s and 50s that played Robert Mitchum, Kirk Douglas and Glenn Ford but here is B series.

In the film there are action, raw drama ,suspense, murders and is very interesting.

Interpretation by Cornel Wilde and Jean Wallace, marriage in real life, is magnificent, the evil racketeer Richard Conte is top notch and his underlings Donlevy, Van Cleef and Holliman are of first rate.

Cinematography by John Alton is extraordinary ,setting of lights and shades depict this type of cinema and Alton and Nicholas Musuraca are the principal photographers.

David Raskin music, being recently deceased, is nice and atmospheric.

The motion picture is well directed by Joseph H. Lewis

Rating : very good, 7,5/10. The flick will appeal to noir cinema fans. Well worth watching.