MovieChat Forums > The Asphalt Jungle (1950) Discussion > This movie is painful to watch

This movie is painful to watch

posted 13 years ago by ilikethemoneypit
39 replies | jump to latest

I watched this movie because I saw someone post that it was way better than Stanley Kubrick's The Killing and let me say it was not, it came nowhere close to it.
Once the robbery happened it became so painfully slow and long that I could barely watch and kept seeing how much time was left on it. By the time the scene came on with the girl dancing at the diner I wanted to hang myself. If you come across this movie and are considering watching it DON'T. Do yourself a favor and watch The Killing instead

[–] jmillerdp 12 years ago

He's just trying to bait people! His name is "I Like the Money Pit." Hello?

"I. Drink. Your. Milkshake! [slurp!] I DRINK IT UP!" - Daniel Plainview - "There Will Be Blood"

[–] franzkabuki 12 years ago

That´s a pretty funny OP. I like it!

"facts are stupid things" - Ronald Reagan

[–] tad58 11 years ago

I disagree. This is a good movie.

[–] jwilson07 11 years ago

I have the attention span of a gnat on crack cocaine and the lack of .57 second jump cuts and car crashes(with lots of explosions) means my little brain was bored. Perhaps something more like the latest Nick Cage movie would be more his style. Its a shame when modern spoiled people cannot grasp a great movie because of their own failings and lack of a laugh track.

[–] wilchbla-560-905547 11 years ago

The OP doesn't understand Film Noir nor the era the majority of those films were made. He needs to stick with The Expendables.

[–] kenny-164 11 years ago

I love many film noir examples, but I did find this one a bit problematic. I understand how the Hayes Code worked, but even sotthe way the "bad guys" got it in the end was a little too neat, I felt. Plus the prosecutor gets to pass moral judgment on them? When he was earlier in the film urging cutting corners and basically framing people? Hey, I am not naive about stuff like that, but I did not like how he gets to win in the end and the more complicated characters all lose.

It was also funny here and there how characters were presented with risky deals by people who they had no real basis for throwing their lots in with, and the response was "sure!" Not terribly credible.

Well, perhaps I should see it again, but I have other things to do before I get back to this one. At least Hagen and Monroe were good, though.

[–] PoppyTransfusion 11 years ago

I much prefered The Killing as well and was disappointed with The Asphalt Jungle as it's raved about.

Keep silent unless what you are going to say is more important than silence.

[–] dodgercodger 11 years ago

OP is right, to a degree. This is a gem, but it does lose something towards the end. Nonetheless, it should be watched & enjoyed.

I doubt a modern take would do much for this -- part of the charm of film noir is following the format, with a goodly bit of that format lead by Brother Hayes.

[–] 11 years ago

[deleted]

[–] MetalWorks 10 years ago

I must admit I'm not a fan of "The Killing", I think the narrator voice over its cheap way of storytelling

This, on the other hand, is a masterpiece; not only invented a sub genre, but it made absolutely no effort to make itself obvious or clear, the story just unfolds
By the time the film ending, you feel so familiar with its characters that you want the criminals to get away with it; and the ending is superbly poetic, it makes you question crime morale and human behavior

And the direction remains pretty modern, even today, one of the most stylistics films of all time

[–] hammer4 9 years ago

Generally I agree. I believe this film was well ahead of its time in 1950 (in a positive sense) and it holds up rather well 65 years later.

However, some dating is to be expected and it's there. One example is Dix's several references to "boning" or being "boned".

Marilyn Monroe's sexpot role is dated. I know many will disagree, but her mannerisms simply belong to a different era. James Whitmore, yelling "fink, fink", to the informant towards, the end
might seem almost comical to today's audiences.

Having said all this there are still many original, unique and fascinating touches that renders "classic" status. Among the distinguished cast, I feel Louis Calhern is a standout.