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

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

The names "Fante" and "Mingo" were later used by writer-director Joss Whedon for two characters--twin brothers--that the Serenity crew meet in Serenity (2005).

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Goofs

In the scene where Susan is having a drink in her apartment, there are shadows of plant leaves on a door in the background. However when Mr Brown comes in via another door, these shadows have vanished in the ensuing shots.

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Quotes

Mr. Brown: Why did you do it, Joe?
Joe McClure: I told you, he pulled a gun on me.
Mr. Brown: I'm trying to run an impersonal business. Killing is very personal. Once it gets started, it's hard to stop.

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Connections

Featured in Morning Patrol (1987)

User Reviews

Shadow and Light and Boys Together

There really should be a deluxe DVD box-set of films with "The Big" in their titles -- preferably "The Big" followed by one more word.

Naturally, you would have to have Howard Hawks' "The Big Sleep" from 1946 and Fritz Lang's "The Big Heat" from 1953.

If I wanted to attract hate mail, I could probably also insist on including two David Nelson circus films, particularly 1959's "The Big Circus," but also the rather overlooked "The Big Show" from 1961.

From 1955 alone you could come up with Robert Aldrich's "The Big Knife" and Joseph H. Lewis' s "The Big Combo."

"The Big Combo" is an unusually good film noir with more of the chiaroscuro lighting effects than you get in some other more famous noir classics and way more than you get in the archetypal David Nelson circus film.

You also get a gay couple -- very unusual for a 1955 Hollywood film! Lee Van Cleef and Earl Holliman play two thugs named Fante and Mingo, who work for bigger thug Richard Conte. Some classic Hollywood films, as reported in Vito Russo's "The Celluloid Closet," have some fairly specific gay content, but some of them only have the reputation and not much content. However, it's really there in "The Big Combo." Lee Van Cleef and Earl Holliman live together, slay together, and apparently love each other. Watch the basement hideout scene near the climax. They caress each other! It's the most believable relationship in a very brutal and fascinating movie.