The Big Combo

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JJJJJJ J Underrated noir that deserves more attention. The film played with some really interesting themes that both worked for the genre but also kept the movie engaging. The character creations was quite good and though most fell into cliche categories they also felt unique and individual. There were some really good one liners in this movie as well. I would recommend this film to any fans of the genre. Rated 3/5 Stars •  Rated 3 out of 5 stars 04/16/23 Full Review deke p 1955! Film Noir. Great cast. Love the Cornell. And that blonde was freshfaced and glookn! Never heard of before saw on tv 5.2021. And by amazing coincidence, just this morning I had The BIG COMBO at Taco Bell. What are the odds. Rated 3.5/5 Stars •  Rated 3.5 out of 5 stars 03/30/23 Full Review Jessica C It's a nice film noir but nothing too special. Helped me pass the time though! Rated 3/5 Stars •  Rated 3 out of 5 stars 01/29/21 Full Review Audience Member Better than big combo Blobbo order from Wendy's. Rated 4/5 Stars •  Rated 4 out of 5 stars 01/17/23 Full Review paul d The Big Combo is a great noir crime drama and one of the best "B movies" I've seen. Joseph H. Lewis crafted an engrossing film, and deserves credit on many fronts. With a great economy of style, his scene transitions leave no time for our minds to wander. He also keeps us focused on on-screen details with some fleeting and audacious material for 1955, hinting at a homosexual relationship between Lee Van Cleef and Earl Holliman and showing the beginning of a particularly overt sexual moment between Richard Conte and Jean Wallace. Lewis and the producers also deserve great credit for assembling such an impressive number of recognizable and skilled actors in a B film: Cornell Wilde, Richard Conte, Brian Donleavy, Lee Van Cleef, Robert Middleton, Earl Holliman,Ted de Corsia, Jay Adler, Phil Van Zandt and John Hoyt. Aside from a wooden performance from model-turned-actress Wallace, each of them developed their characters well, and quickly. We are treated to a very fine Richard Conte playing to perfection (and to type) a suave and cold-blooded bad guy. Ted de Corsia, with only five minutes of screen time, leaves us feeling like we know everything about his character. And how did they convince tough-guy Brian Donlevy to agree to a role against type, where he plays a defeated and humiliated man who's still in the crime business because that's the only business he knows? Donlevy pulls this off with grace and subtlety. Rated 4/5 Stars •  Rated 4 out of 5 stars 03/31/23 Full Review Audience Member The Big Combo reminds me what I love about a good film noir. The dialogue is snappy, the protagonist is a tough-as-nails detective looking for the right clues, the bad guys are just despicable and proud of it, and there is atmosphere to spare. It creates a mood that I just love and it makes me feel like throwing on a trenchcoat, lighting up a cigarette, and trying to piece together the evidence with our jaded hero. Admittedly, there isn’t a ton of mystery in The Big Combo. We know who did it, it’s more a matter of finding the proof needed to convict him of his crimes. I still liked the story, and was interested in seeing how it would be resolved. This film feels like a throwback to the early days of noir, in fact it looks a little rough around the edges, even though it was actually released at a time when color film was becoming more common and visuals were getting cleaner than ever before. One thing that is blatantly obvious about The Big Combo, is that it came out after the production code was lifted, because this movie pushed some boundaries. It’s easily one of the oldest American movies I have seen that so blatantly implies a homosexual relationship (and I must admit it was kind of fun seeing where Joss Whedon got the names Fante and Mingo that he used in Serenity.) The performances in The Big Combo are great. I particularly enjoy the devious portrayal of Mr. Brown by Richard Conte. He’s the type of guy you want to see get busted, and that increased my emotional stakes in the film. I did have some difficulties following some of the plot details, though. A couple times they revealed some information, and I didn’t feel like it was all that vital, but it was treated as crucial. Yet, I was into this movie more for the way the story was told than the story itself. The Big Combo is a great example of film noir, and one that I’d gladly watch again to pick up on some of the nuances I missed the first time. Rated 4/5 Stars •  Rated 4 out of 5 stars 01/22/20 Full Review Read all reviews

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