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.
IMDb goes behind the scenes with movie prop master Russell Bobbitt to learn the secrets and stories behind iconic props from Avengers: Infinity War, Iron Man, Charlie's Angels, and more. IMDb in Partnership with Zippo.
Related News
-
Gun Crazy
15 May 2018 | Trailers from Hell -
Terror in a Texas Town
26 July 2017 | Trailers from Hell -
Terror In A Texas Town Starring Sterling Hayden Available on Blu-ray July 11th From Arrow Video
03 July 2017 | WeAreMovieGeeks.com
User Lists
Related lists from IMDb users
Share this Rating
Title: The Big Combo (1955)
Want to share IMDb's rating on your own site? Use the HTML below.
Learn more
People who liked this also liked...
Detour
(1945)
Crime
|
Drama
|
Film-Noir
Director:
Edgar G. Ulmer
Stars:
Tom Neal,
Ann Savage,
Claudia Drake
Gun Crazy
(1950)
Certificate: Passed
Crime
|
Drama
|
Film-Noir
Director:
Joseph H. Lewis
Stars:
John Dall,
Peggy Cummins,
Berry Kroeger
Kansas City Confidential
(1952)
Crime
|
Drama
|
Film-Noir
Director:
Phil Karlson
Stars:
John Payne,
Coleen Gray,
Preston Foster
Force of Evil
(1948)
Crime
|
Drama
|
Film-Noir
Director:
Abraham Polonsky
Stars:
John Garfield,
Thomas Gomez,
Marie Windsor
Pitfall
(1948)
Crime
|
Film-Noir
|
Thriller
Director:
André De Toth
Stars:
Dick Powell,
Lizabeth Scott,
Jane Wyatt
Criss Cross
(1949)
Crime
|
Drama
|
Film-Noir
Director:
Robert Siodmak
Stars:
Burt Lancaster,
Yvonne De Carlo,
Dan Duryea
Nightmare Alley
(1947)
Certificate: Passed
Drama
|
Film-Noir
Director:
Edmund Goulding
Stars:
Tyrone Power,
Joan Blondell,
Coleen Gray
The Dark Mirror
(1946)
Crime
|
Drama
|
Film-Noir
Director:
Robert Siodmak
Stars:
Olivia de Havilland,
Lew Ayres,
Thomas Mitchell
Fallen Angel
(1945)
Crime
|
Film-Noir
|
Mystery
Director:
Otto Preminger
Stars:
Alice Faye,
Dana Andrews,
Linda Darnell
Scarlet Street
(1945)
Drama
|
Film-Noir
|
Thriller
Director:
Fritz Lang
Stars:
Edward G. Robinson,
Joan Bennett,
Dan Duryea
Thieves' Highway
(1949)
Drama
|
Film-Noir
|
Thriller
Director:
Jules Dassin
Stars:
Richard Conte,
Valentina Cortese,
Lee J. Cobb
Kiss of Death
(1947)
Crime
|
Drama
|
Film-Noir
Director:
Henry Hathaway
Stars:
Victor Mature,
Brian Donlevy,
Coleen Gray
Edit
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 |
Edit
Plot Summary
|
Plot Synopsis
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. Written by Norman L Cook <cook@ssdgwy.mdc.com>
Taglines:
The Most Startling Story The Screen Has Ever Dared Reveal!Parents Guide:
Add content advisory for parents »
Edit
See full technical specs »
Details
Country:
USARelease Date:
13 February 1955 (USA) See more »Also Known As:
The Hoodlum See more »Filming Locations:
Kling Studios, Los Angeles, California, USACompany Credits
Show more on
IMDbPro »
Technical Specs
Runtime:
Sound Mix:
Mono (RCA)Color:
Black and WhiteAspect Ratio:
1.85 : 1
Edit
Nils Dreyer: I had lunch with him last week. He's a very fine gentleman.
Leonard Diamond: He's a hoodlum.
Nils Dreyer: Because I have lunch with him, that is not a crime. I'll have lunch with anybody, I'm democratic. I'll even have lunch with you.
See more »
Did You Know?
Trivia
The film was considered very daring for its time. Cornel Wilde's detective character is clearly having a casual sexual relationship with Helene Stanton's Rita, while the film quite openly infers that the two henchmen played by Lee Van Cleef and Earl Holliman are in a homosexual relationship. See more »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. See more »Quotes
Leonard Diamond: Do you know Mr. Brown?Nils Dreyer: I had lunch with him last week. He's a very fine gentleman.
Leonard Diamond: He's a hoodlum.
Nils Dreyer: Because I have lunch with him, that is not a crime. I'll have lunch with anybody, I'm democratic. I'll even have lunch with you.
See more »
Frequently Asked Questions
This FAQ is empty. Add the first question.
Enjoy a night in with these popular movies available to stream now with Prime Video.
It is surprising that the brilliance of this film has not been adequately recognised by the viewing public or the critics. Probably inspired by the prototypical rogue cop in Fritz Lang's "The Big Heat", this film features the crusade of one man - Lieutenant Diamond (Cornel Wilde in a super performance) to pin down Richard Conte's smooth-tongued gangster. Struggling to keep away the departmental bureaucracy, he battles singlehandedly against organised crime with a devotion to duty bordering on the obsessional ("It's my sworn duty to push too far").
Despite the absence of any big name in the cast, this film presents all the elements that we have come to love about American film noir - great lighting and photography, tight script ("First is first, and second is nobody"), a great storyline, and some superb performances (Susan Lowell as a society girl - the gangster's moll - is ravishing).
Watch this film. It's time it got recognition amongst the greatest films to come out of Hollywood. Ever.