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A prime example of the American film noir style that flourished during the 1940s and '50s, The Big Combo is now highly regarded as a stylistic milestone for its innovative use of deep shadows and harsh, singular light sources to define its visual strategy. This look is largely credited to the rule-breaking brilliance of cinematographer John Alton, who turns a standard plot of the era into a richly atmospheric experiment in visual invention. Ignoring conventional approaches to lighting, Alton defines the screen in terms of blackness, often framing characters as silhouettes cast in ominous grays or thick, roiling fogs. Moving from clarity to abstraction with masterful grades in between, Alton's trend-setting style has been celebrated by cinematographers since the film's release in 1955.

The film's plot keeps brisk pace with the visuals, focusing on the obsessive efforts of a tenacious detective (Cornel Wilde) to destroy a sadistic mobster (Richard Conte) whose vicious influence has nearly ruined the life of the woman (Jean Wallace) he keeps under his dark wing. Lee Van Cleef and Earl Holliman are nicely cast as the villain's toady henchmen, and Brian Donlevy's usual limitations serve him well as the humbled, frustrated kingpin who's been stifled by Conte's ambition. DirectorJoseph H. Lewis previously demonstrated his raw, stylistic vigor with theearlier cult favorite Gun Crazy, and here he's in peak form with a perfect match of subject and sensibility. The result is hard-boiled entertainment that still packs a punch. --Jeff Shannon ... Read more

Reviews (15)

A Forgotten Masterpiece Remembered!
First and foremost I would like to congratulate and say thank you very much to IMAGE ENTERTAINMENT for having the sense to make available a great overlooked, and underappreciated classic on VHS and DVD. "The Big Combo" is one of the best film noirs ever made, and one of the best films of the 1950s. It is one of the most brutal films both visually and in its depiction of the violence that lies beneath the surface of society. It also has many great performances by Richard Conte, Cornel Wilde, and Conte's two psychopathic aids Lee Van Cleef and Earl Holliman. This is definitely a must-see for either fans of dark, violent films, or for fans of great artistic films also. I congratulate, applaud, and thank very much, IMAGE ENTERTAINMENT for remembering and making "THE BIG COMBO" available on DVD and VHS as it should be. Here are some forgotten classics that aren't available on video or need a better transfer, that definitely should: NIGHT AND THE CITY (1950), GUN CRAZY (1949), BIGGER THAN LIFE (1956), NIGHTMARE ALLEY (1947), CRIME WAVE (1954), WHERE THE SIDEWALK ENDS (1950), TROUBLE IN PARADISE (1932), EDGE OF DOOM (1950), SCARLETT STREET (1945), THE RED HOUSE (1947), DETOUR (1945), CAUGHT (1949), THE RECKLESS MOMENT (1948)

Tough, Muscular Film Noir
This is tough, muscular film noir delivered by a master of the genre, director Joseph Lewis, whose master touch in low budget mystery gave us the unforgettable "Gun Crazy." The camera work is excellent in this epic about a large city at night, when two obsessive men do battle for turf control, giving us a microscopic view of its fierce underbelly and the ferocious mobsters who tenaciously seek to control it.

Cornell Wilde is a tough, uncompromisingly honest cop who is belittle by his equally determined adversary, Richard Conte, for being so bright yet ending up with such a small paycheck at the end of the week. Wilde has two reasons for bringing down the cocky Conte, that earlier expressed of seeking to make the city a more decent place with the mobster's loss of influence. The other is that he holds a passionate love for the beautiful blonde controlled in such a tight vise by Conte that she attempts suicide. The blonde is Wilde's real life wife, Jean Wallace, and Wilde is determined to pull her away from the egomaniacally dominating Conte before she is destroyed.

For a large part of the film Conte laughs at Wilde, taunting him over his ineffectuality, telling him he is wasting his time attempting to put him away. This is largely a bluff, though, since he recognizes Wilde's zealousness and competence. At one point his henchmen kill a lovely young stripper going with the policeman, intending to terminate Wilde instead.

Wilde is able to crack the case when he learns about the existence of Conte's wife, thought to be dead, played by Helen Walker. When Wilde gets the goods on the mobster and is ready to arrest him Conte begs his adversary to kill him. Wilde will have none of it, telling Conte that he will instead be tried, convicted, and sent to prison, where he will be a man devoid of power. Wilde knows that this is a much sterner punishment to Conte than death by execution.

Mr. Brown.
Quentin Tarantino owes his career -- or what's left of it, anyway -- to Joseph L. Lewis' *The Big Combo*, from 1955. Fans of *Resevoir Dogs* will be surprised to see that the villain of the piece (a hissable Richard Conte) is named "Mr. Brown" (which was Tarantino's color-coded name in his own film). They will also be shocked to discover that Tarantino is something of a rip-off artist when they see the scene here where Conte and his goons torture a cop tied to a chair. In 1955, force-feeding someone booze, splashing it all over him, and cramming a hearing-aid into his ear with the other end attached to a radio was considered sufficient torture. In 1992, our sensibilities required the removal of the ear and splashes of gasoline. Progress. At any rate, my point is that *The Big Combo* was a very influential film noir among connoisseurs. It still packs a wallop. I take issue with the fellow from Canada below on several points. As for his sniping about the low budget here . . . yeah? So? If anyone can name a classic film noir that had an extravagant budget to play with -- with the possible exception of *Double Indemnity* -- I'd be interested to know about it. And my answer to his complaints about the dialogue is to suggest that perhaps he has confused *The Big Combo* with, well, *Double Indemnity*. I personally find the dialogue to be compact, lean and mean, and reasonably free of superfluous verbiage. (Unlike in Wilder's "classic", wherein insurance agents talk like lifelong Hell's Kitchen hoods, to say nothing of nattering voice-over narration.) There are certainly no page-long, single-space monologues in this movie. In any case, the absolutely stunning cinematography provided by the master John Alton should mute any misguided criticisms. This will be one of the best-shot black & white movies you will ever see. It ranks with the Expressionist milestones of Murnau and Welles. The pulsing alternation between shadow and sudden clarity is particularly impressive. A word of praise also goes to the performers: Jean Wallace is a walking blonde veneer steaming with sexual degredation beneath the surface; her real-life husband Cornel Wilde is the quintessential New York City detective. The supporting players are great, too. [The DVD is not so great. No extras, but who cares? -- it's the transfer that's really lacking. *The Big Combo* needs, and deserves, a thorough clean-up, in the Criterion tradition. We're still missing the entirety of Alton's photographic achievement with this product.]

The Combo Is Fine, It Just Needs Another Script
Fans of the Noire B-Picture can learn a lot from this movie. Joseph Lewis (the magnificent "Gun Crazy") helms it, John Alton ( "T-Men", "Railroaded", and the astounding "Raw Deal") photographs, and the cast includes Cornel Wilde, Richard Conte, Brian Donlevy, and the young Lee Van Cleef and Earl Holliman.

Film students take note:

There's obviously no money to spare here: the sets are all recycled from other B-pictures. What's impressive is how Lewis uses the same locations for multiple shots without and significant re-setting, he keeps his angles down and holds the long take. Alton helps with the right atmosphere and his wonderfully graphic compositions, and the cast get on board for the ride. You can almost see another "Gun Crazy" or "Raw Deal" emerging.

But the script is awful. In B-Movies, "Talk Is Cheap" - much cheaper than action, or scene changes. That's why Reservoir Dogs spends so much time in a warehouse (the similarities don't end there: in a scene of remarkable brutality Wilde is taped to a chair and tortured via a hearing air placed near his EAR!). But one of the problems with shooting few locations fast, is you need the dialog to fill the scenes.

It's just not here. The speeches (there isn't any conversation here, just hard-line pronouncements) are all tough-guy cliché: "he's the kind guy that blah blah blah, and blah blah, but blah blah, because mark my words, blah blah". They're not very good and they always go on for a few sentences -- or a page -- too long. Someone's always trying to stretch the analogy, or extend a metaphor, or get with the poetry of the streets. Nothing they say has anything to do with character. This the kind of juvenile dialog that turns up in parodies of old noire B-pics. It's a shame, because while this is a very capable cast worthy of better material, they just can't save this.

Picture and sound quality are good (Image Entertainment is an excellent DVD label), but unless your a student or serious film buff this is nothing more than a curiosity.

Bad DVD
Great movie and one of the best examples of film noir but this release is awful. The image quality is terrible and it looks like it is copy off an old print with bad scratches, milky contrast and clicking and popping on the track. I hope a reputable company like Criterion gets the rights and they can do a restoration and new transfer. Meanwhile don't waste your money on this version, ... Read more

Amazon.com

One of the most vital of all film noir pictures, Gun Crazy has more cinematic gusto and sexual heat than almost any movie of its time. It's a variation on the Bonnie and Clyde story, but with a bizarre set-up:firearms enthusiasts John Dall and Peggy Cummins (neither of whom were ever this wild again) meet as sharpshooters in a carnival, then turn to crime. The direction, by Joseph H. Lewis, is like a spray of hot lead from a gun barrel, capped by an amazing sequence--shot in one long take--of a bank robbery seen from the backseat of the getaway car. (Billy Wilder himself called up Lewis to find out how he did it.) If most film noirs trace the anxieties of postwar America, Gun Crazy goes directly to sheer madness. Trivia note: the film had a title change, to Deadly Is the Female, for its original release, whereupon it was changed back. --Robert Horton ... Read more

Reviews (2)

The East Side Kids get into horseracing.
Well, the East Side Boys finally made it out of the haunted mansion in BOYS OF THE CITY (1940). They are suppose to be painting a wall in town, but Leo Gorcey has decided he wants to be a jockey. Knuckles (Dave O'Brien) and Algy (Eugene Francis) must keep an eye on this gang to make sure they finish the job. They made a mess of it, so Knuckles told them to go hide at there old stable hang-out. The boys decide to race a throughbred they own called, Blue Knight. If Seabiscuit could win and make money for everyone, so could Blue Knight. After all, the horse is from Kentucky. Guess who they train to be the stable jockey? Muggs. The boys are: Bobby Jordan, Leo Gorcey, Sunshine Sammy Morrison, David Gorcey (Leo's younger brother) and Donald Haines. The next films are: PRIDE OF THE BOWERY (1941), FLYING WILD (1941), BOWERY BLITZKRIEG (1941).

The movie is good but the print could be better
This 1940 East Side Kids movie is one of the very first in Monogram Pictures' long-running series (which eventually became The Bowery Boys). These early entries stress rowdyism over comedy routines, so there's more drama than comedy, but Ernie "Sunshine Sammy" Morrison is very enjoyable as the black kid, and Bobby Jordan is enthusiastic as Leo Gorcey's confidant. In this story, Gorcey wants to be a jockey but he's secretly afraid of speed, and his stubbornness almost ruins the hopes of his friends. Clarence Muse is excellent as a journeyman horse trainer; in one charming scene he sings a spiritual without accompaniment, and Morrison jumps up and dances to it. Joseph H. Lewis's direction gets the most out of the limited budget, by shooting largely outdoors and using careful compositions. Huntz Hall is not in this picture but David Gorcey is, and fans should enjoy seeing him.

The source print used on this DVD is a Savoy Pictures reissue of the late 1940s. The first few minutes are missing (but not essential to the plot; the print must have been edited by some TV station at one time), the image is slightly cropped, and the contrast is only fair. The movie is good enough to overcome the DVD's technical flaws. If this is your favorite East SIde Kids movie you'll be a bit disappointed by the print, but you can't beat the budget price. ... Read more

Reviews (8)

The best of Bela Lugoi's Poverty Row films for Monogram
Actually "The Invisible Ghost" does refer to a character in this 1941 film, but then the only thing that matters is Bela Lugosi's name on the title card. Lugosi plays Charles Kessler, who we meet having dinner with his wife on their wedding anniversary; the only problem is that according to daughter Virginia (Polly Ann Young), her mother was killed in a car accident several years earlier as she was about to run off with her husband's best friend. But Kessler still worships his wife and on their anniversary he convinces himself he is having dinner with his beloved. Sounds plausible enough, but the truth is that Mrs. Kessler (Betty Compson) survived the auto accident and is being kept in the gardener's shed by the caretaker, Jules (Ernie Adams), who keeps assuring the poor woman that she will be taken to her husband and daughter "soon." Meanwhile, there have been a series of strange murders in the neighborhood and when the maid is struck down the suspicion falls on Virginia's beau (John McGuire). But, of course, that is not close enough to home to really ruin the rest of Virginia's life and sooner or later the local cops will figure out the truth of what is going on here.

"The Invisible Ghost" is the best of the nine Poverty Row productions Lugosi made for Monogram after his fall from grace at Universal Studios. The problems in the script (you can usually find the body in a car crash for starters) are compensated for by the work of director Joe Lewis, who shows a lot of cinematic flair for a B-film director making a quickie (e.g., filming the fireplace during the exposition). This film is rather face paced and gets a lot in for only 64-minutes. The other advantage it has is that Lugosi's performance is better than the plot; I mean, come on, you know who the murderer is before the movie begins, and it is just a question of waiting for all the pieces to be forced into place by the time the film ends. This is not a suspense film, but more one about atmosphere and mood. The insane wife, befuddled daughter and falsely accused beau are all above average performances as well; if you were just listening to them you would not know this was a low-budget horror film. There are times when I think this is Lugosi's best performance, but I am probably more comfortable claiming it is one in which he plays his most sympathetic character. But if you do not have a strong stomach for stupid plots, then you would want to pass this one bye.

Bela Lugosi's best poverty row film for Monogram
Actually "The Invisible Ghost" does refer to a character in this 1941 film, but then the only thing that matters is Bela Lugosi's name on the title card. Lugosi plays Charles Kessler, who we meet having dinner with his wife on their wedding anniversary; the only problem is that according to daughter Virginia (Polly Ann Young), her mother was killed in a car accident several years earlier as she was about to run off with her husband's best friend. But Kessler still worships his wife and on their anniversary he convinces himself he is having dinner with his beloved. Sounds plausible enough, but the truth is that Mrs. Kessler (Betty Compson) survived the auto accident and is being kept in the gardener's shed by the caretaker, Jules (Ernie Adams), who keeps assuring the poor woman that she will be taken to her husband and daughter "soon." Meanwhile, there have been a series of strange murders in the neighborhood and when the maid is struck down the suspicion falls on Virginia's beau (John McGuire). But, of course, that is not close enough to home to really ruin the rest of Virginia's life and sooner or later the local cops will figure out the truth of what is going on here.

"The Invisible Ghost" is the best of the nine Poverty Row productions Lugosi made for Monogram after his fall from grace at Universal Studios. The problems in the script (you can usually find the body in a car crash for starters) are compensated for by the work of director Joe Lewis, who shows a lot of cinematic flair for a B-film director making a quickie (e.g., filming the fireplace during the exposition). This film is rather face paced and gets a lot in for only 64-minutes. The other advantage it has is that Lugosi's performance is better than the plot; I mean, come on, you know who the murderer is before the movie begins, and it is just a question of waiting for all the pieces to be forced into place by the time the film ends. This is not a suspense film, but more one about atmosphere and mood. The insane wife, befuddled daughter and falsely accused beau are all above average performances as well; if you were just listening to them you would not know this was a low-budget horror film. There are times when I think this is Lugosi's best performance, but I am probably more comfortable claiming it is one in which he plays his most sympathetic character. But if you do not have a strong stomach for stupid plots, then you would want to pass this one bye.

INVISIBLE GHOST
Although not technically or artistically superior, Invisible Ghost is a winner for Lugosi fans. He plays Charles Kessler, who employs a butler, a maid, a cook and a gardener. There is a series of murders which cannot be solved. Controlled by his estranged wife, who is in a lost world herself (hidden below a storage room by the gardener), Kessler commits the murders in a trance with no memory of them in his normal state. Lugosi is very pleasant and unknowing of what is happening to him/others. This film is very satisfying to Lugosi fans but may be boring to general classic horror fans. [Favorite scene: Lugosi's talk with his new cook]

A peculiarity from Poverty Row.
The oddities of this Monogram semi-horror film begin with the title! The "ghost" in question is NOT invisible, and is not really a ghost. Also, the shadow of an ape appears on the main title card. (Don't ask me, I'm only the reviewer.) The various plot twists contain no supernatural or science fiction elements, and yet are even less plausible than those of other Monogram horrors. The director, Joseph Lewis, displays almost none of the talent he showed in his later films. Only the presence of Bela Lugosi makes this one worthwhile. The role of "Dr. Kessler" is a Jekyll/Hyde character, so Lugosi is playing a normal, likeable guy during most of his screen time, which makes this one of his more unusual roles. Also, Clarence Muse is good as the butler.

Surreal, bizarre Monogram masterpiece...
The title almost gives it away. "The Invisible Ghost." What other kind of ghost IS there? While there are some genuinely creepy moments in this black and white thriller, the plot is so hare-brained you'll need multiple viewings just to absorb the details. Let's see; Bela Lugosi believes his wife died in a car accident, but his gardener (!) actually has her stowed in the back barn. When wifey staggers out in the rain and "haunts" Lugosi, he falls into a trance and murders whoever's handy, then "wakes up" remembering nothing. Throw in a cigar chomping (and utterly ineffectual) police detective, the poor fellow who's unjustly convicted of the murders and sent to the electric chair (!), the casual way Lugosi and friends react to multiple homicides, and a psycho-therapist who suggests Lugosi's murderous trance is, in fact, a fairly common psychiatric disorder, and you've got one of the more whacked movies in cinema history. I loved it! ... Read more

Reviews (2)

The East Side Kids search a spooky manor.
It began with DEAD END (1937). the boys came from the Broadway play and landed their first starring role togehter. After DEAD END (1937), Warner Bros. made six films with them in 1938 and 1939. Some of the cast still known as The Dead End Kids joined The Little Tough Guys in nine films for the new Universal and the serials 1938-1943. However in 1940, Leo Gorcey and Bobby Jordan became The East Side Kids from 1940-1945 for Monogram Pictures Corp. Billy Halop and Bernard Punsly did not join them. They continued as The Dead End Kids with The Little Tough Guys. The East Side Kids came about from the film EAST SIDE KIDS (1940) and although the gang we enjoyed are not in that film, they spawned into the next film BOYS OF THE CITY (1940), which is considered the first official film for the beginning of the East Side Kids. Bobby Jordan and Leo Gorcey are top billed. Huntz hall and Gabriel Dell are not in this one, but returned to the Gorcey/Jordan gang later in the film series. David Gorcey plays "Pete". He is the younger brother of Leo. Also part of the new gang is Sunshine Sammy Morrison as "Scruno", Donald Haines as "Pee Wee", Hally Chester as "Buster" and Frankie Burke as "Skinny". Frankie Burke (as of this writing is still alive) played the younger "Rocky", the James Cagney character in ANGELS WITh DIRTY FACES (1938). All the boys are invited to the Judge's manor. However, his manor is a spooky one full of secret passageways. They brought the boys hoping they could prevent a murder. Other scary films with the East Side Kids are: SPOOKS RUN WILD (1941) and GHOSTS ON THE LOOSE (1943). The next film in the series is: THAT GANG OF MINE (1940).

Ghostly Classic Crime Comedy Mystery!!
Muggs and the gang are arrested for opening up a fire hydrant on a blistering summer day.Their friend Knuckles gets them off the hook by promising to take the gang to a summer camp in the upper Adirondacks to keep them out of mischief.On their trip they meet a judge and his entourage who are having car trouble.Knuckles offer the judge and his group a ride and when they arrive to the judges mansion and then their car fails with the judge reluctantly offering the gang to stay there.The judges mansion is dark,creepy with a graveyard out in front and an eerie housekeeper inside.The boys can detect trouble and when the judge is murdered and it's up to boys to solve the mystery.Great East Side Kids Classic!! ... Read more

Reviews (4)

A Weak Entry In The Series
Pride Of The Bowery finds the Eastside Kids at a CCC camp with a bunch of other "kids".
Muggs (Leo Gorcey) can't seem to keep out of trouble in this film.
The plot is thin, the acting atrocious, the production values almost non-existant.
Best for fans of the Eastside Kids.

Too Bad!
I completely agree with the other reviewer's opinion this edition stinks! It's ashame the East Side Kids series doesn't get better treatment. I understand these films are pretty much considered bottom of the barrel poverty row entertainment whose appeal to modern day audiences is extremely limited at best, but c'mon if your gonna take the time to release the stuff at all at least make sure it's watchable. The antics of Leo Gorcey, Huntz Hall and the boys have a certain charm that deserves to be remembered in a better form than this! If you've never checked out or even heard of the East Side Kids before do yourself a favor and look them up, trashy teen exploitation from a time long ago, corny yet hip (I guess for it's day?!), the 30's and 40's equivalent of today's Road trip and American Pie type teen flix (minus the sex of course!). Let's hope these pics get released in better form some day!

BEWARE of this Alpha Video DVD, it is BAD!
I can not tell you much about the movie, the Gotham Distributors/ Alpha Video DVD is so bad that I had to stop it 10 minutes in and force the store to accept the return of an open DVD.
The AUDIO is DISTORDED, making it very hard to understand Leo Gorcey's humorous banter.
The VIDEO is WASHED OUT so that you can not see their faces.
The film print they used was also splicy, but that would have been tolerable if you could see & hear the movie. Wait until someone like Platinum, Front Row, Brentwood, or Goodtimes releases this public domain title.

A joyless B movie
This undistinguished effort (which seems like a promotion for Franklin Roosevelt's CCC camps of that time) is very disliked by most of today's film historians and critics. Though not a total turkey, it's still very slow-paced and, like the majority of the Bowery Boys/East Side Kids films, is badly dated. If there is a message in this movie, it gets lost in uninspired, forced humor, uneven scripting, and generally unappealling performances. ... Read more

Reviews (4)

Camp? Yaaa, you betche'.
These are the kind of movies you discover in your quest to own every western ever made. Man oh man, where to begin?

Ok, hang on...I have to stop giggling first. I dont think I've ever seen the Shrimp and Lobster Platter being served up in a saloon before but I suppose that's supposed to be a metaphor for something. Sebastian Cabot makes for a decent fancyman villain but it's hard to look classy when you're scarfing down the seafood feast. And he's got a black threaded gunman that is doing a pretty good Dr.No imitation complete with a steel right hand and long black leather toxic chemical disposal gloves. Somebody discovered oil, you see, so Sebastian has got Dr.No running around killing everybody and stealing their land. Makes sense right? Probably weren't enough U-Haul trailers to go around back then so most people just opted for a bullet.

The master plan was cranking right along until Dr.No went to visit this old Swedish guy that confronted Dr.No with a harpoon. You can see where this is headed. I guess this must have reminded Dr.No how he lost his hand to a big mouth bass or something cause he got real mad and pumped about 14 rounds into the old fella while he was laying face down in the dirt. We never learned how proficient he may have been in his younger days looking for Moby Dicks and stuff. Enter funeral durge.

Sterling Heyden finally gets to town wearing a suit that is about 2 sizes too small so he has to keep pulling his vest down over his belt. Another metaphor....Hmmmnn? The accent is hilarious and would be like Bela Lugosi playing an Apache or something. Anyway, he wants some details but the sheriff tells him it's all a mystery and he can't go to his father's ranch onacounta all that yellow tape and the Patriot Act and all. This makes Sterling pretty angry, especially when he calls room service and finds out the saloon is out of shrimp so Fred Ziffel brings him the harpoon and he goes looking for Dr. No who he figures him out of a decent meal.

Only Gregory Peck's "Shoot Out" can compare for pure silliness. 2 stars for the movie, 5 for the unintentional humor.

Maritime Justice Texas Style
If this is not a cult film I don't know what one is. The opening scene of Sterling Hayden walking down the main street of a Western town with harpoon in-hand to meet a gunman clad in black is just so offbeat one finds it difficult not to be enthralled and immediately immersed into the story. Hayden seems to have been breed for these types of films but with his pseudo-Swedish accent it just makes it all the more bizarre. Even more bizarre is Nedrick Young's portrayal of Johnny Crale the gunman in black. Now working for Ed McNeil (Sebastian Cabot) we learn that Crale had his right hand blown off and had it replaced with a steel one. Crale must now use his left hand to do his shooting which has diminished his skills. Basically Ed McNeil has hired gunman Crale to buy out or kill all the local landowners in town. What is really offbeat his how gunman Crale confronts each landowner and explains to each one his own perverse code of conduct and how he must carry out his duties as a gunman. Victor Millan as farmer Jose Mirada will not beg for his life and he explains it is his duty to die in dignity at the hand of Crale. Eventually Hayden the Swedish seaman must face Crale in probably the most bizarre and offbeat shootout ever filmed. I had not seen this film in over forty years until recently but I never forgot the incredible finale. Under Joseph H. Lewis' direction it is style and offbeat characterizations that sets this film apart from its rather ordinary plot. Even the score by composer Gerald Fried is rather contradictory and strangely upbeat in some scenes. This is definitely a low budget film but a very effective one.

Draw! Er, throw! Er, whatever...
Joseph Lewis (My Name is Julia Ross, Gun Crazy) fans will likely be rather disappointed; this is not his finest hour-and-a-half. His films often trod on hoary ground; Big Combo could've been just another cops-and-robbers tale. But it is inventive direction, kinetic atmosphere and chiaroscuro camerawork which distinguish his work, and those elements are largely not to be found here.

Sterling Hayden (The Killing, Johnny Guitar) gives another of his ruggedly natural performances, this time as a whaler who comes to his father's Texas home, only to find Sebastian Cabot (Twice-Told Tales, The Time Machine) ruling the town with an iron fist. He wants everyone's oil-rich land, you see. Sound familiar? Of course it does. 'T in a TT' is unflinchingly violent, even a little bit subversive (Dalton Trumbo scripted it) in a Peckinpah way, and jumpily structured after the fashion of pulpy noir. But none of these things make it any more than what it is: just a fairly standard oater with an unusual conclusion.

The conclusion is really the only reason this film is remembered: it features a dusty-street showdown between hired gun and harpoon. Even so, we saw everything but the outcome of said duel in the first portions of the film. This one aspect is so askew from the norm that it might distract you from the implausibility. Or from the fact that everything else has been pretty much connecting the dots.

Or like me, it might not.

On of the greatest B-films (of westerns)
Everything is just right, the actors, the atmosphere, action. Sometimes miracles do happen. I would put it just below the great westerns. It is actually a 4,5 star film, but 4 stars is not enough. I rank it with the Boetticher-Scott films. ... Read more