About

Screening from Archival 35mm film print

A gritty ensemble crime drama, The Asphalt Jungle is a study of a gang of rogues , their elaborate heist, and the murderous fallout between them all. The cast is stellar across the board - Sterling Hayden gives a typically commanding performance as one of the members of the gang and Marilyn Monroe lights up the screen in a small key role, one of her early breakout performances. John Huston (who directed and co-wrote the script) was a master storyteller; he understood tension and narrative flow, but he also knew how to craft rich characters and then get his actors to inhabit them. The Asphalt Jungle takes a familiar story – a group of crooks looking to make one last big score – and elevates it above and beyond its tropes. A meaty, hard-nosed film noir from one of the great American directors.

PG | Low level violence