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The Big Combo

  • 19551955
  • Not RatedNot Rated
  • 1h 27m
IMDb RATING
7.3/10
7.9K
YOUR RATING
Richard Conte, Cornel Wilde, and Jean Wallace in The Big Combo (1955)
CrimeDramaFilm-Noir
A police lieutenant is ordered to stop investigating deadly crime boss Mr. Brown because he hasn't been able to get any hard evidence against him. He goes after Brown's girlfriend, who despi... Read allA police lieutenant is ordered to stop investigating deadly crime boss Mr. Brown because he hasn't been able to get any hard evidence against him. He goes after Brown's girlfriend, who despises him, for information instead.A police lieutenant is ordered to stop investigating deadly crime boss Mr. Brown because he hasn't been able to get any hard evidence against him. He goes after Brown's girlfriend, who despises him, for information instead.
IMDb RATING
7.3/10
7.9K
YOUR RATING
    • Joseph H. Lewis
    • Philip Yordan(by)
  • Stars
    • Cornel Wilde
    • Richard Conte
    • Jean Wallace
    • Joseph H. Lewis
    • Philip Yordan(by)
  • Stars
    • Cornel Wilde
    • Richard Conte
    • Jean Wallace
  • See production, box office & company info
    • 94User reviews
    • 63Critic reviews
  • See production, box office & company info
  • See more at IMDbPro
  • Photos27

    Cornel Wilde and Jean Wallace in The Big Combo (1955)
    Richard Conte and Jean Wallace in The Big Combo (1955)
    Cornel Wilde and Jean Wallace in The Big Combo (1955)
    Richard Conte, Brian Donlevy, Cornel Wilde, and Jean Wallace in The Big Combo (1955)
    Richard Conte, Brian Donlevy, Cornel Wilde, and Jean Wallace in The Big Combo (1955)
    Cornel Wilde and Jean Wallace in The Big Combo (1955)
    Jean Wallace in The Big Combo (1955)
    Richard Conte and Brian Donlevy in The Big Combo (1955)
    Richard Conte in The Big Combo (1955)
    Cornel Wilde and Jean Wallace in The Big Combo (1955)
    Helene Stanton in The Big Combo (1955)
    Cornel Wilde and Helene Stanton in The Big Combo (1955)

    Top cast

    Edit
    Cornel Wilde
    Cornel Wilde
    • Police Lt. Leonard Diamond
    Richard Conte
    Richard Conte
    • Mr. Brown
    Jean Wallace
    Jean Wallace
    • Susan Lowell
    Brian Donlevy
    Brian Donlevy
    • Joe McClure
    Robert Middleton
    Robert Middleton
    • Police Capt. Peterson
    Lee Van Cleef
    Lee Van Cleef
    • Fante
    Earl Holliman
    Earl Holliman
    • Mingo
    Helen Walker
    Helen Walker
    • Alicia Brown
    Jay Adler
    Jay Adler
    • Detective Sam Hill
    John Hoyt
    John Hoyt
    • Nils Dreyer
    Ted de Corsia
    Ted de Corsia
    • Ralph Bettini
    Helene Stanton
    Helene Stanton
    • Rita
    Roy Gordon
    Roy Gordon
    • Audubon
    Whit Bissell
    Whit Bissell
    • Doctor
    • (scenes deleted)
    • (as Whit Bissel)
    Steve Mitchell
    • Bennie Smith
    Baynes Barron
    Baynes Barron
    • Young Detective
    James McCallion
    James McCallion
    • Frank
    Tony Michaels
    • Photo Technician
      • Joseph H. Lewis
      • Philip Yordan(by)
    • All cast & crew
    • Production, box office & more at IMDbPro

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    Storyline

    Edit

    Did you know

    Edit
    • Trivia
      In what is arguably this film's most memorable scene, the weapon with which Richard Conte's character so effectively bludgeons Cornel Wilde's protagonist (albeit unbearably--and unforgettably--hearing-aid-enhanced) is the uncredited, off-screen contribution of the then hugely popular L.A.-based jazz ensemble Shorty Rogers and His Giants, and in particular the excellent--but in this case literally deafening--drum solo of Shelly Manne.
    • 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.
    • Quotes

      Leonard Diamond: She's under arrest, Mr. Brown.

      Mr. Brown: What's the charge?

      Leonard Diamond: Homicide.

      Mr. Brown: That's ridiculous, she wouldn't kill a fly.

      Leonard Diamond: She tried to kill herself

      Mr. Brown: Is that a crime?

      Leonard Diamond: It happens to be against two laws: God's and Man's. I'm booking her under the second.

    • Connections
      Edited from He Walked by Night (1948)

    User reviews94

    Review
    Review
    Featured review
    8/10
    unacknowledged film noir classic!
    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.
    helpful•23
    7
    • Rajdeep
    • Oct 9, 1999

    Details

    Edit
    • Release date
      • February 13, 1955 (United States)
      • United States
      • English
      • Swedish
      • Latin
      • German
    • Also known as
      • Kling Studios, Los Angeles, California, USA
    • Production companies
      • Security Pictures
      • Theodora Productions
    • See more company credits at IMDbPro

    Technical specs

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    • 1 hour 27 minutes
      • Black and White

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