Tockinit
not horrible nor great
Bluebell Alcock
Ok... Let's be honest. It cannot be the best movie but is quite enjoyable. The movie has the potential to develop a great plot for future movies
Aubrey Hackett
While it is a pity that the story wasn't told with more visual finesse, this is trivial compared to our real-world problems. It takes a good movie to put that into perspective.
Yash Wade
Close shines in drama with strong language, adult themes.
happytrigger-64-390517
After the revolutionary "Gun Crazy", "The Big Combo" is the second and last real masterpiece directed by Joseph H. Lewis. A strong revenge love story, with violent and shocking scenes shadowed ingeniously by John Alton, definitely master of film noir photography. Richard Conte is outstanding as a sadistic gangster. And try to see the interview of Joseph H. Lewis explaining the very special scene between Richard Conte and Jean Wallace. Cheers Joseph H. Lewis.
DKosty123
Conell Wilde, Richard Conte, and Lee Van Cleef and others speak volumes for the talent in this cast. Writer Philip Yordan wrote a great script and with talent like this in front of the camera, this movie is a must see.While this sums up the plot -"A police Lt. is ordered to stop investigating deadly crime boss Mr. Brown, because he hasn't been able to get any hard evidence against him," it does not say how many twists and turns this one goes through.There are also some ladies along the way to keep things going. It is all a matter of getting the evidence that leads Police Lt. Leonard Diamond (Cornel Wilde) through a film noir maze of intrigue. Is it worth the trip for the viewer? You bet it is.
roddekker
This 1955, b&w, crime-drama had both its good points, as well as its not-so-good points.Its best point, by far, was its overall look which consisted of many scenes shot in shadowy, partially-lit spaces. This welcome effect often gave the story a more menacing feel to it, beyond what was generally conveyed by the actions of the characters.As well as The Big Combo having its fair share of impressive camera-work to its credit, it also contained plenty of unintentional humour in a story that clearly took itself way too seriously for its own good.But, on the other hand - What almost ruined this picture for me was the hideously annoying performance of actress Jean Wallace who played the clueless, blond, gangster's moll, Susan Lowell. Believe me, this woman's portrayal really grated on my nerves, big-time.Anyway - For the most part, The Big Combo was OK entertainment as far as 1950's crime-dramas go.
SnoopyStyle
Police Lt. Diamond (Cornel Wilde) investigates criminal boss Mr. Brown (Richard Conte). Nothing works and Diamond is being pressured to drop the case. There's a mysterious Alicia. He goes after Brown's girlfriend Susan Lowell (Jean Wallace).This is dripping with the hard-boiled noir style. The cinematography is mostly great. The dialog and the acting are all very mannered and stylized. It's definitely a B-movie but it's a good B-movie. My biggest problem is the lack of presence from the main actors. They're all good character actors but I wouldn't say any of them are stars. Again this is only a B-movie.