How sad is this?

Yo, there's no way for me to review this film without saying, take your *insert ethnicity + "ass" here* to see this film,like now. You have to see it in order to know what you're really messing with.

The acting in this movie is really good.

The thing I enjoyed most about the film is the fact that it doesn't shy away from being a super-sized-cliche;

It doesn't get much darker than this for noir. Director Joseph Lewis' film get the first-class treatment for production values and delivers the goods. Everyone in the film delivers a first-class performance; including Cornel Wilde as the relentless cop, Lt. Diamond, Richard Conte as the despicable Mr. Brown, Brian Donlevy as Brown's chief lackey, who hates his guts, Jean Wallace as the strawberry shortcake moll, and Lee Van Cleef (spaghetti westerns), as a lower-end lackey.The movie has everything you could want for a gangster classic. It is not filmed in black and white; it is films in dark shadows and light shadows. The dialogue is a bit dated, but you will get the message. If you enjoy good film noir, then this film is for you.

THE BIG COMBO is a rather late entry in the film noir genre but one that still packs a punch due to some violent plot twists and adult material. The storyline sees dogged police lieutenant Cornel Wilde going up against gangster kingpin Richard Conte in a battle to the finish, with various innocent parties, femme fatales, and brutal henchmen getting involved along the way.It's well-paced stuff indeed, and has atmosphere to spare especially when the fog comes down for some key moments. Really, though, this is the kind of film which works due to the efforts of the cast. Wilde is the solid lead but it's the villains who really shine in this one. Conte has never been slimier and makes for a frightening screen presence, and a delightfully icy Lee Van Cleef makes a meal playing one of his henchmen who may or may not be a homosexual. Then there's a meaty supporting role for Professor Quatermass himself, Brian Donlevy, playing Conte's old-time ally, and Jean Wallace is fine as the caught-up love interest.THE BIG COMBO works well by playing with genre tropes and offering a little more originality than the viewer is used to. There's one of the more unusual torture scenes I've seen in a film involving a hearing aid, while the climax thankfully sees the heroine of the piece using her brain for once rather than just sitting back and simpering at the men folk doing their thing.

Having mostly enjoyed Cornel Wilde films, I was anxious to catch up with this rarely screened title. While it kept my interest throughout, I was surprised that by the end, I did not want to keep my recording.Following a nice main title, the film gets off to an interesting start, but this actually promises more than it delivers. The great 40's noir films had tight pacing, sharp dialog and a multi layered look and feel ~ all this is lacking here. Obviously the producers recognized this, as they themselves dropped scenes from the final cut. Whit Bisel remains on the cast, but not in the film! Even with some segments reduced the film feels much longer than it's 80+ Min's running time. I quite like slow films, but they should never feel longer than they are, and must have strong lines and situations. Its a good time filler, but don't think it will stay with too many after it's over. Wildes wife Jean Wallace is lovely to look at in the Grace Kelly school of cool blonds. The Black and White print I caught on local ABC TV was very good quality (far better than many of the soft image, and poor quality sound prints pushed out on TCM!~ when will they get it right?) Many have mentioned enjoying the films use of light and shadow, but this too is obvious and forced, looking more like cheap TV lighting, not the true 'style' of great cinema. The cast tries hard but the lines are just not there for them (substitutes violence for good dialog) OK for the easily pleased, others, don't expect too much. A decade later Wilds 'Naked Prey' while a total departure, is a far better effort.

OK, this was a total gangster movie, i thought the story was fairly strong , but also quite complex, which was good at times, but it did lose me at one point. one thing i would have done was dress people a little more distinctly, i had a bit of trouble recognizing who was who. as far as filming goes i wouldn't say it was anything exceptional, except for the last scene, they really had some fun with the lighting on that one, which was pretty cool. it seemed to be quite similar to most other gangster films, just with a few more twists to keep track of. but all in all i would say it's a decent film and worth a watch, maybe not all that much more.