heist movie – Thoughts From The Music(al) Man

Now we have one of the movies that featured the “Rat Pack,” the classic Ocean’s 11, starring Frank Sinatra, Dean Martin, Sammy Davis Jr., Peter Lawford and Angie Dickinson.

Spyros Acebos (Akim Tamiroff) wants to rob the Las Vegas casinos, but, due to his criminal record, he can’t get in without raising suspicion. So he hires Danny Ocean (Frank Sinatra) to do the job. Danny recruits some of his buddies from the 82nd Airborne unit of paratroopers to pull it off. After getting the men together, they make plans to pull the job at midnight on New Year’s Eve. By New Year’s Eve, they are ready and in position to pull off the heist. Everything goes as planned, but after the job is done, one of the men suffers a fatal heart attack. Then a few other problems start to crop up.

I will admit, this is one of those “Is it or is it not a holiday movie” types. Particularly in starting off the movie, we do get a sense that the Christmas season is upon them, and it maintains a presence, at least in the background, for a good deal of the movie. Then, of course, the heist itself takes place on New Year’s Eve. Personally, I have a hard time wanting to classify this movie as a Christmas film, just due to the main concept. However, I do feel like it at least fits in as a New Year’s movie, since they do more solidly celebrate it, not to mention some of the unforeseen events that occur within the new year.

I will say, this is a movie that I have come to enjoy. My first viewing didn’t leave me feeling that impressed, but after some time between, I enjoyed it more the second time around. For me, the cast makes it work, with so many familiar faces. Admittedly, the “not quite a musical but wants to go in that direction” aspect of the movie still bothers me (especially since Frank doesn’t even do any singing), but for a movie set in Las Vegas, I can live with it. But like I say, I like the cast here, which makes it more fun (just don’t expect me to try the remake or the franchise it started). So, yes, I do recommend this movie!

This movie is available individually on Blu-ray and DVD and on Blu-ray as part of the five-film Frank Sinatra Collection from Warner Home Video.

Film Length: 2 hours, 8 minutes

My Rating: 8/10

List Of Actor/Actress Filmographies/Collections

Never So Few (1959) – Frank Sinatra – The Road To Hong Kong (1962)

Some Came Running (1958) – Dean Martin – The Road To Hong Kong (1962)

Never So Few (1959) – Peter Lawford

Susan Slept Here (1954) – Red Skelton

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Time to kick off the month of “Noir-vember” with some thoughts on the 1950 crime drama, The Asphalt Jungle, starring Sterling Hayden and Louis Calhern.

Upon being released from prison, “Doc” Riedenschneider (Sam Jaffe) makes plans to pull off a jewelry heist. He goes to the bookie Cobby (Marc Lawrence) for a cash investment and three men to help pull it off: a safecracker, a driver and a “hooligan.” The heist goes as planned, except they run into trouble with burglar alarms in nearby places going off, a guard’s gun accidentally going off upon being knock to the ground and hitting one of them, and a traitorous fence.

Apparently, this is a bit of an important noir, coming from director John Huston, who had, amongst others, The Maltese Falcon (1941) and Key Largo (1948), to his credit. It seems, from what I have read, that one important point about this movie, was that it made the criminals at the heart of the movie more human than had previously been done. They all have their own issues that they are dealing with, that make it easier for the audience to relate to, whether it be that they are family men, or one who wants back a horse farm his family lost during the Depression, or any of a number of things. Even the traitorous fence, lawyer Alonzo Emmerich, when listening to his wife worry about him having to deal with criminals, can only say that “there’s nothing so different about them.” I can believe that, and I think that we can feel Doc’s pain, when, in spite of how well-planned everything was, they run into trouble because of “blind accidents” which couldn’t possibly have been accounted for.

This movie’s success resulted in a number of crime thrillers, including a few remakes. It also helped Marilyn Monroe’s career. Although her role was small, her performance left a big impression on Darryl F. Zanuck, the head of 20th Century Fox, who previously had her under contract, (but only in small non-speaking roles) and now gave her better roles as a result. This movie spawned a thirteen-episode TV series of the same name in the early sixties (although it focused more on the police, and only one episode really related to this movie).

I did enjoy this movie, and I do recommend it (although some subject matter, such as a suicide that happens off-screen, might make it less palatable for young kids). The movie is available on Blu-ray and DVD from Criterion Collection.

Film Length: 1 hour, 52 minutes

My Rating: 9/10

List Of Actor/Actress Filmographies/Collections

Sterling Hayden – Crime Of Passion (1957)

Louis Calhern – Annie Get Your Gun (1950)

Tag: heist movie

Thoughts From The Music(al) Man (2019) on… Ocean’s 11 (1960)

Thoughts From The Music(al) Man (2018) on… The Asphalt Jungle (1950)