Real life New York gangsters who specialize in murder are portrayed here, even as the DA and his minions try to get the goods on them.
Solid gangster film, thanks mainly to Falk's breakthrough performance. Hollywood of the late 50's and early 60's was enamored with movies and TV based on real life bad guys, as they are here. I expect the big success of The Untouchables (1959-1963) and Capone (1959) contributed greatly to the trend. Anyhow, it's a mostly no-name cast, giving things a less Hollywood look. Plus the photography is about as dour as visuals get. But then things shouldn't be prettified, given the grim subject matter. Okay, that's true except for the blonde knockout May Britt, who never quite made a movie career, but sure looks good here (mostly).
Oddly, there's no noisy shooting with machine guns splattering windows as was common for big time crime films. Instead, guys get dispatched quickly and efficiently, befitting a corporate approach to murder by contract. Note that no one in the film is particularly likable. We may sympathize with Joey and Eadie (Whitman&Britt), but that's about it. Falk as professional killer Abe Reles is scary and convincing as all-get-out. Besides, his short, chunky frame looks nothing like Hollywood.
Over the years, there's been a lot of speculation about Reles flying out of an upper story hotel after turning songbird for the cops. Whether, a cop on mob payroll did it or not, it's pretty clear somebody on the force was in on it, considering how heavily Reles was guarded. Anyhow, it's a solid tough guy movie, with a performance by Falk that brought him to the attention of all Hollywood.
Solid gangster film, thanks mainly to Falk's breakthrough performance. Hollywood of the late 50's and early 60's was enamored with movies and TV based on real life bad guys, as they are here. I expect the big success of The Untouchables (1959-1963) and Capone (1959) contributed greatly to the trend. Anyhow, it's a mostly no-name cast, giving things a less Hollywood look. Plus the photography is about as dour as visuals get. But then things shouldn't be prettified, given the grim subject matter. Okay, that's true except for the blonde knockout May Britt, who never quite made a movie career, but sure looks good here (mostly).
Oddly, there's no noisy shooting with machine guns splattering windows as was common for big time crime films. Instead, guys get dispatched quickly and efficiently, befitting a corporate approach to murder by contract. Note that no one in the film is particularly likable. We may sympathize with Joey and Eadie (Whitman&Britt), but that's about it. Falk as professional killer Abe Reles is scary and convincing as all-get-out. Besides, his short, chunky frame looks nothing like Hollywood.
Over the years, there's been a lot of speculation about Reles flying out of an upper story hotel after turning songbird for the cops. Whether, a cop on mob payroll did it or not, it's pretty clear somebody on the force was in on it, considering how heavily Reles was guarded. Anyhow, it's a solid tough guy movie, with a performance by Falk that brought him to the attention of all Hollywood.