Rating: 
Summary: "So you don't hear the bullets."
Review: "The Big Combo" is a crime syndicate run by a Mr. Brown (Richard Conte in a chilling performance). Police Lt. Leonard Diamond is Brown's determined adversary. Diamond's obsession with Brown is almost out-of-control, and according to Diamond's superior, he's committing far too many police resources to the job. But Diamond is single-minded. He loathes Brown and everything Brown stands for. Plus Brown's delicious girlfriend, society girl, Susan Lowell (Jean Wallace) makes the perfect damsel-in-distress, and Diamond really can't resist that notion.
The film's plot is concerned with discovering a mystery woman named Alicia. It seems that she holds the key to Mr. Brown's sudden rise to power over another crime boss who has--according to rumour--absconded to Italy. As Diamond tries to find Alicia, his search uncovers other people who may hold information. Diamond and Brown engage in a race to find the witnesses/stoolies first.
"The Big Combo" is marvelous film noir. There's the classic struggle of good vs. evil (Brown vs. Diamond), and Diamond is--as his name suggests--clean, clear, and utterly transparent. Richard Conte as Brown delivers one of the best performances of a crime boss I've ever seen. It's right up there with Richard Widmark as Tommy Ugo in "Kiss of Death." The women in the lives of Brown and Diamond are an interesting contrast. Susan Lowell, the ladylike improbable girlfriend of the hard, tough crime boss is in complete contrast to Diamond's equally incompatible girlfriend, a stripper named Rita (Helene Stanton). Susan Lowell is obviously taking a walk on the wild side in her relationship with Brown, and one scene in particular underscores their erotic connection. Mr. Brown's minions include the ambitious Joe McClure (Brian Donlevy) and muscle men Fante & Mingo (Lee Van Cleef & Earl Holliman). Just what is the relationship between Fante and Mingo anyway ...? Film noir fans should relish this film, and fans of Quentin Tarantino "Reservoir Dogs" will experience a sense of deja vu. The DVD quality was more than acceptable. Lighting was a small problem in a couple of the gloomier scenes--displacedhuman
Rating:
Summary: Mr. Brown.
Review: Fans of the Noire B-Picture can learn a lot from this movie. Joseph Lewis (the magnificent "Gun Crazy") helms it, John Alton ( "T-Men", "Railroaded", and the astounding "Raw Deal") photographs, and the cast includes Cornel Wilde, Richard Conte, Brian Donlevy, and the young Lee Van Cleef and Earl Holliman.Film students take note: There's obviously no money to spare here: the sets are all recycled from other B-pictures. What's impressive is how Lewis uses the same locations for multiple shots without and significant re-setting, he keeps his angles down and holds the long take. Alton helps with the right atmosphere and his wonderfully graphic compositions, and the cast get on board for the ride. You can almost see another "Gun Crazy" or "Raw Deal" emerging. But the script is awful. In B-Movies, "Talk Is Cheap" - much cheaper than action, or scene changes. That's why Reservoir Dogs spends so much time in a warehouse (the similarities don't end there: in a scene of remarkable brutality Wilde is taped to a chair and tortured via a hearing air placed near his EAR!). But one of the problems with shooting few locations fast, is you need the dialog to fill the scenes. It's just not here. The speeches (there isn't any conversation here, just hard-line pronouncements) are all tough-guy cliché: "he's the kind guy that blah blah blah, and blah blah, but blah blah, because mark my words, blah blah". They're not very good and they always go on for a few sentences -- or a page -- too long. Someone's always trying to stretch the analogy, or extend a metaphor, or get with the poetry of the streets. Nothing they say has anything to do with character. This the kind of juvenile dialog that turns up in parodies of old noire B-pics. It's a shame, because while this is a very capable cast worthy of better material, they just can't save this. Picture and sound quality are good (Image Entertainment is an excellent DVD label), but unless your a student or serious film buff this is nothing more than a curiosity.
Rating: 
Summary: The Combo Is Fine, It Just Needs Another Script
Review: Fans of the Noire B-Picture can learn a lot from this movie. Joseph Lewis (the magnificent "Gun Crazy") helms it, John Alton ( "T-Men", "Railroaded", and the astounding "Raw Deal") photographs, and the cast includes Cornel Wilde, Richard Conte, Brian Donlevy, and the young Lee Van Cleef and Earl Holliman. Film students take note: There's obviously no money to spare here: the sets are all recycled from other B-pictures. What's impressive is how Lewis uses the same locations for multiple shots without and significant re-setting, he keeps his angles down and holds the long take. Alton helps with the right atmosphere and his wonderfully graphic compositions, and the cast get on board for the ride. You can almost see another "Gun Crazy" or "Raw Deal" emerging. But the script is awful. In B-Movies, "Talk Is Cheap" - much cheaper than action, or scene changes. That's why Reservoir Dogs spends so much time in a warehouse (the similarities don't end there: in a scene of remarkable brutality Wilde is taped to a chair and tortured via a hearing air placed near his EAR!). But one of the problems with shooting few locations fast, is you need the dialog to fill the scenes. It's just not here. The speeches (there isn't any conversation here, just hard-line pronouncements) are all tough-guy cliché: "he's the kind guy that blah blah blah, and blah blah, but blah blah, because mark my words, blah blah". They're not very good and they always go on for a few sentences -- or a page -- too long. Someone's always trying to stretch the analogy, or extend a metaphor, or get with the poetry of the streets. Nothing they say has anything to do with character. This the kind of juvenile dialog that turns up in parodies of old noire B-pics. It's a shame, because while this is a very capable cast worthy of better material, they just can't save this. Picture and sound quality are good (Image Entertainment is an excellent DVD label), but unless your a student or serious film buff this is nothing more than a curiosity.
Rating:
Summary: A Forgotten Masterpiece Remembered!
Review: First and foremost I would like to congratulate and say thank you very much to IMAGE ENTERTAINMENT for having the sense to make available a great overlooked, and underappreciated classic on VHS and DVD. "The Big Combo" is one of the best film noirs ever made, and one of the best films of the 1950s. It is one of the most brutal films both visually and in its depiction of the violence that lies beneath the surface of society. It also has many great performances by Richard Conte, Cornel Wilde, and Conte's two psychopathic aids Lee Van Cleef and Earl Holliman. This is definitely a must-see for either fans of dark, violent films, or for fans of great artistic films also. I congratulate, applaud, and thank very much, IMAGE ENTERTAINMENT for remembering and making "THE BIG COMBO" available on DVD and VHS as it should be. Here are some forgotten classics that aren't available on video or need a better transfer, that definitely should: NIGHT AND THE CITY (1950), GUN CRAZY (1949), BIGGER THAN LIFE (1956), NIGHTMARE ALLEY (1947), CRIME WAVE (1954), WHERE THE SIDEWALK ENDS (1950), TROUBLE IN PARADISE (1932), EDGE OF DOOM (1950), SCARLETT STREET (1945), THE RED HOUSE (1947), DETOUR (1945), CAUGHT (1949), THE RECKLESS MOMENT (1948)
Rating: 
Summary: Bad DVD
Review: Great movie and one of the best examples of film noir but this release is awful. The image quality is terrible and it looks like it is copy off an old print with bad scratches, milky contrast and clicking and popping on the track. I hope a reputable company like Criterion gets the rights and they can do a restoration and new transfer. Meanwhile don't waste your money on this version,
Rating:
Summary: Bad DVD
Review: Great movie and one of the best examples of film noir but this release is awful. The image quality is terrible and it looks like it is copy off an old print with bad scratches, milky contrast and clicking and popping on the track. I hope a reputable company like Criterion gets the rights and they can do a restoration and new transfer. Meanwhile don't waste your money on this version,
Rating: 
Summary: Dark crime drama delivers the goods
Review: Gritty, entertaining story is nevertheless upstaged by excellent cinematography and direction. However, not for those who can't take an unrelenting grim tone. Memorable ending, with a BIT of a ray of sunshine in the final moments. The DVD utilized a pretty good print of the film (no major glitches), but there aren't any extras.
Rating:
Summary: Dark crime drama delivers the goods
Review: Gritty, entertaining story is nevertheless upstaged by excellent cinematography and direction. However, not for those who can't take an unrelenting grim tone. Memorable ending, with a BIT of a ray of sunshine in the final moments. The DVD utilized a pretty good print of the film (no major glitches), but there aren't any extras.
Rating:
Summary: NOIR FOR CONNOISSEURS!
Review: It doesn't get any better than this. The delicious writing and cool, gritty "look" of the film is perfect. No one's more male, sexy or gorgeous than Richard Conte at his best, an icon of 1950's style and attitude, in love with a young, blonde femme fatale. But once she (Cornel Wilde's real wife Jean Wallace) finds out that he's married, God help him.
Rating:
Summary: NOIR FOR CONNOISSEURS!
Review: It doesn't get any better than this. The delicious writing and cool, gritty "look" of the film is perfect. No one's more male, sexy or gorgeous than Richard Conte at his height, an icon of 1950's style and attitude, in love with a young, blonde femme fatale. But once she (Cornel Wilde's real wife Jean Wallace) finds out that he's married, God help him.
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