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.
- Doctor
- (scenes deleted)
- (as Whit Bissel)
- Director
- Writer
- All cast & crew
- Production, box office & more at IMDbPro
Storyline
Did you know
- TriviaJack Palance was originally hired for the role of "Mr. Brown", but after clashing with the producers (because they would not cast his wife in the film per an article in the 13 August 1954 edition of Daily Variety), he left the production. Before leaving he recommended they hire Richard Conte to replace him, which they did.
- GoofsWhen 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
Mr. Brown: So you lost. Next time you'll win. I'll show you how. Take a look at Joe McClure here. He used to be my boss, now I'm his. What's the difference between me and him? We breathe the same air, sleep in the same hotel. He used to own it!
[yelling into McClure's sound magnifier that is in his ear]
Mr. Brown: Now it belongs to me. We eat the same steaks, drink the same bourbon. Look, same manicure,
[lifting and pointing at McClure's hand]
Mr. Brown: same cufflinks. But there's only one difference. We don't get the same girls. Why? Because women know the difference. They got instinct. First is first, and second is nobody.
- ConnectionsEdited from He Walked by Night (1948)
Although it has been many years since I first saw this film it has stayed with me ever since, a classic crime thriller with elements of noir and some very memorable moments. The basic plot is about a crime syndicate and the cop who is trying to bring it down and this is very well done throughout. The plot is a bit of a mystery in this regard as Diamond tries to build a puzzle with most of the pieces missing but the plot is only a part of this film working as well as it does. One of the main factors making it so good is the consistently tough tone of the material that can be seen in many ways. It has all the usual stuff in the tough characters spouting quotable dialogue with the rat-a-tat-tat rhythm of a tommy gun but also has many tough scenes of brutality, my favourite being the unforgettable execution that takes place in total silence the perfect conclusion to a scene that had been built up with such tension.
The film adds to this with elements more suited to noir than gangster movies. The "hero" is a deeply flawed man driven more by hate than righteousness, unable to get Brown's girl he turns to a low rent show girl (although it is clear that she is a prostitute) meanwhile we have corruption within the authorities hinted at it is all nicely twisted, not quite a fully blown noir but it takes elements and blends them well to produce a superb mix. The cast match this with some great performances. Conte gets the headlines because he gets the cool character and the toughest dialogue but for me it is Wilde that makes the film his own with a convincing portrayal of a man who is driven by hate as much as love until, finding neither, he uses a "lesser" woman to satisfy his lust only for it to sink him deeper into apparent self-loathing. He is a bit wild-eyed at times but generally he gets it spot on with a complex performance that says as much with his expressions as he does with his dialogue. Donlevy is good in a small role and the female characters are well done (for different reasons) by Wallace and Stanton. Lee Van Cleef was a surprise find in a minor role but really the film belongs to Wilde and Conte who really go to town with the chance.
Overall this is not a normal crime syndicate thriller as the title suggests, but nor is it a traditional noir. Instead it is a fine blend of the two with the best elements of each working to produce a classic crime thriller with atmospheric direction, tough dialogue, brutally memorable scenes and great performances. Complex characters and a morally ambiguous hero only helps the film's impact making this one well worth hunting down (can you believe it has only had a few hundred votes on this site? I despair.)
- bob the moo
- Dec 20, 2004
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Details
- Release date
- Country of origin
- Official site
- Languages
- Also known as
- The Big Combination
- Filming locations
- Kling Studios, Los Angeles, California, USA(presently known as The Jim Henson Company Lot)
- Production companies
- See more company credits at IMDbPro
Box office
- Budget
- $500,000 (estimated)
- Runtime1 hour 27 minutes
- Color
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![Richard Conte, Cornel Wilde, and Jean Wallace in The Big Combo (1955)](https://m.media-amazon.com/images/M/MV5BMzc2YzE5MzUtYzdkZS00YWU4LTkyYTgtMGUzNWQ3YmZjMzI2XkEyXkFqcGdeQXVyMTk2MzI2Ng@@._V1_QL75_UX90_CR0,2,90,133_.jpg)