An underrated Jack Nicholson role...!

I saw two the typical "What a..." posts ("....awful film" and "....horrendous film") and many posts on how Anjelica did or did not deserve her Oscar for her supporting role in this film but still no signs of one that says *what a realistic and gritty Jack Nicholson did we see" in this film!! Maybe I am alone in this one, or maybe there's a silent majority with me but seriously how understated!

I would give full credit to John Houston and Jack to carve out this indifferent, everyday mafia man on screen with such finesse. It is particularly a bravado from Nicholson, as he's been over the years known for a certain kind of style and characterisation in the industry. Charlie Partanna in this film is very similar to Frank Mcloud sublimely played by Bogart in the 1948 classic - Key Largo. Mcloud was a weakling compared to Bogie's typical roles and it too came at a time when Bogie was playing too many super-gutsy hero/anti-hero characters he would later be well known for. but this was a classic and a stellar performance from Bogie as usual; a highly underrated segue on this great actor's performance graph.

Charlie Partanna was a similar deviation for Jack in my view - he's a less-liked, less heroic, uncool hitman and his hits seemed nothing more than a thug-job. Not a character you'd imagine Jack to be in those days. However Jack fits in well there, and grows out to be a strong character in the end. Being an admirer of the works of Jack & Bogie, this film was fabulous to me from that POV.