the big combo movie review

Cast & crew
User reviews

The Big Combo

A police lieutenant is ordered to stop investigating deadly crime boss Mr. Brown because he hasn't been able to get any hard evidence against him. He goes after Brown's girlfriend, who despi... Read all A police lieutenant is ordered to stop investigating deadly crime boss Mr. Brown because he hasn't been able to get any hard evidence against him. He goes after Brown's girlfriend, who despises him, for information instead. A police lieutenant is ordered to stop investigating deadly crime boss Mr. Brown because he hasn't been able to get any hard evidence against him. He goes after Brown's girlfriend, who despises him, for information instead.

Joseph H. Lewis
Philip Yordan
Cornel Wilde
Richard Conte
Jean Wallace
103 User reviews
65 Critic reviews

Cornel Wilde and Jean Wallace in The Big Combo (1955)

Top cast 35

Police Lt. Leonard Diamond

Susan Lowell

Joe McClure

Police Capt. Peterson

Alicia Brown

Detective Sam Hill

Nils Dreyer

Ralph Bettini

(scenes deleted)
(as Whit Bissel)
Bennie Smith

Young Detective

Photo Technician
All cast & crew
Production, box office & more at IMDbPro

More like this

Did you know

Trivia Jack Palance was originally hired for the role of "Mr. Brown", but after clashing with the producers (because they would not cast his wife in the film per an article in the 13 August 1954 edition of Daily Variety), he left the production. Before leaving he recommended they hire Richard Conte to replace him, which they did.
Goofs When John Hoyt as Dreyer reaches into his desk for a gun, the contents of the desk on the insert close-up do not match the contents on the master shot.

Mr. Brown : So you lost. Next time you'll win. I'll show you how. Take a look at Joe McClure here. He used to be my boss, now I'm his. What's the difference between me and him? We breathe the same air, sleep in the same hotel. He used to own it!

[yelling into McClure's sound magnifier that is in his ear]

Mr. Brown : Now it belongs to me. We eat the same steaks, drink the same bourbon. Look, same manicure,

[lifting and pointing at McClure's hand]

Mr. Brown : same cufflinks. But there's only one difference. We don't get the same girls. Why? Because women know the difference. They got instinct. First is first, and second is nobody.

Connections Edited from He Walked by Night (1948)

User reviews 103

Jun 11, 2007
How long is The Big Combo? Powered by Alexa
February 13, 1955 (United States)
United States
Streaming on "Timeless Classic Movies" YouTube
The Big Combination
Kling Studios, Los Angeles, California, USA (presently known as The Jim Henson Company Lot)
Security Pictures
Theodora Productions
See more company credits at IMDbPro
$500,000 (estimated)

Technical specs

Runtime 1 hour 27 minutes
Black and White

More to explore

Friday Film Noir

The big combo is an early but great film noir.

A detective is obsessed with a case, tracking down either a killer or a thief which has eluded him for long enough for frustration to sink in. An antagonist who always has the perfect alibi to reinforce whatever fabricated story he might have to deflect suspicions. A beautiful dame, prized trophy of the criminal, becomes the apple of the detective’s eye, for good or ill. If these plot elements read as familiar, it is because they should. They have been utilized a countless number of times throughout cinematic history, especially in Hollywood. There is something about the combination of those three storylines that attracts viewers. Perhaps it is that each allows viewers to leave vicariously in some way or another depending on the individual. Such familiarity can either be the downfall of a picture or the source of inspiration to create something captivating. The Big Combo , from director Joseph H. Lewis, released in the waning years of film noir’s popularity, is an example of the latter.

Lt. Leonard Diamond (Cornel Wilde) of the Los Angeles Police Department has been on the hunt for the elusive Mr. Brown (Richard Conte) for over a year already. His investigation has stretched over such a long period and necessitated such funds that the department would like nothing other than for Diamond to drop the case until harder evidence of Mr. Brown’s malfeasance is brought to light. Lt. Diamond’s primary strategy in trying to snatch information on Brown has been to trail the latter’s current main squeeze, Susan Lowell (Jean Wallace), even when she has left the country to go on vacation! Susan herself is feeling the strain of being Brown’s girlfriend, so much so that, one night at a club while under the protection of the mobster’s two main henchmen (Earl Holliman and Lee Van Cleef, in an early screen role long before becoming a legend in Sergio Leone’s For a Few Dollars More), she takes some pills in a suicide attempt. It is later while recovering at the hospital when Diamond succeeds in extracting some pertinent information from the depressed girl: the name Elisha. What connection this mysterious Elisha has with Brown just might be the most vital clue Lt. Diamond needs to bust his case wide open.

To argue that The Big Combo is a perfect film, a flawless example of the police procedural genre and an endlessly captivating mystery would be going too far. Superior and, frankly, more original police stories were made both before and after its 1955 release. However, there is something to be said about director Joseph H. Lewis’ notable efforts in bringing vibrant life to such a tiny picture. There are plenty of examples that demonstrate how small The Big Combo is, the most evident being the sets, all of which feel incredibly small and intimate. Another hint would be that however many times the protagonist, Lt. Diamond, harps on the point about Brown being a criminal mastermind, leader of a terrifically seedy organization, all the viewer ever sees of this dastardly conglomerate is Richard Conte, Lee Van Cleef, Earl Holliman, and Brian Donlevy, who plays a seemingly washed up, near-deaf hoodlum who lost his spotlight on the team long ago. Limitations they may be, they do not prevent the film from being not only an intelligent mystery but also a compelling character piece, even though not all the characters will win the viewer’s undivided interest.

The Big Combo comes up big where it counts…

For one, The Big Combo is gifted with some cleverer writing than with most films of this ilk, by which it is meant that Philip Yordon, who penned the script, injects some well-devised details about how each side, the police, and the mobster organization, is run. Early on in the film Diamond is harangued by a colleague for using up so much of the police force’s funds for an investigation which not only has lasted longer than necessary but has not produced any concrete results. He is reminded that such funds are taxpayers money just as in the same scene the audience learns Diamond has also been forced to fund some activities all on his own due to lack of approval from the department. The dialogue exchange thus accomplishes three things. First, it contextualizes and grounds the story in a sense of reality. Second, it succinctly reveals to the audience how obsessed Lt. Diamond has become with wanting to toss Brown into the slammer. Thirdly, it is suggested that Diamond’s interest in Brown has taken on another life as well in the form of Susan Lowell, with whom the investigator may or may not have fallen in love with. Cornel Wilde offers a nice performance in the role, conveying his character’s obsessive nature all the while providing him with a sense of warmth that wins over the viewer. In other words, the obsession never crosses a line where the audience begins to question just how righteous Diamond is.

On the opposite end of the spectrum, the elicit operation is a tightly run ship, with none other than Mr. Brown himself giving the orders. He is a charismatic, cool-headed man, not one to easily get nervous. His demeanour is in fact quite cool for the most part, although never to the extent that his collectedness might be misinterpreted for arrogance. There is no mistaking that he is the villain, and yet the script wisely offers the character some shades of grey. From the moment the name Elisha is uttered from Susan’s mouth, that person, whoever she might be, definitely has a hold on Brown. Part of the interest in watching that mystery unfold is precisely in observing Brown betray an ever so slightly softer side to him. He is a bad guy, but not mechanically so. In addition to the writing, actor Richard Conte does a splendid job in producing a multi-dimensional antagonist. However fun it might be to see cops arrest mobsters for their unruly ways, it is hard to deny that Mr. Brown is a smart, level-headed man, and part of the credit for successfully creating the character must go to Conte.

Even though it was written earlier in this review how ‘small’ the film looks in some cases, it should be noted that the cinematography is exempt from that criticism. Whereas the sets confine the movie in many ways, the play of light and shadow frequently belies the small production values. What is especially interesting is how forced some of the choices appear to be. There are moments when, if one thinks about the geography of the scene for a moment or two, there is no real reason why the room and characters would look so cool, yet they do. John Alton, who worked as a cinematographer on the project, ups the ante in some spectacular ways, which practically feels at odds with some of the movie’s other visual aspects. There are movies when the stylistic choices feel as though they morph organically out of the story and other occasions when they feel much more deliberate, which is the case with The Big Combo , but then again, who has ever complained about a film’s cinematography looking superb? This movie reviewer certainly won’t try to be the first.

In the end, The Big Combo moves along at an excellent pace and wraps up its central conceit just in the nick of time. There are not too many twists and turns, but enough little reveals to keep the viewer guessing. Most importantly, the psychological gamesmanship between the two leads truly carries the film along with strong writing.

-Edgar Chaput

Now Streaming

Key Largo is Both Pulpy and Thought-Provoking

The man who cheated himself has a phenomenal climax.

A native of Montréal, Québec, Edgar Chaput has written and podcasted about pop culture since 2011. At first a blogger, then a contributor to Tilt's previous iteration (Sound on Sight), he now helps cover tv and film on a weekly basis. In addition to enjoying the Hollywood of yesteryear and martial arts movies, he is a devoted James Bond fan. English, French, and decent at faking Spanish, don't hesitate to poke him on Twitter (https://twitter.com/double_oh_Pop), Facebook or Instagram (https://www.instagram.com/edchap14/).

Alan K. Rode

December 19, 2020 at 2:15 pm

Why does the headline banner on this piece proclaim “an early, but great film noir” when the author states the film was issued “in the waning years of film noir’s popularity?” Also: Jean Wallace’s character name isn’t “Elisha” because she isn’t a character from the Bible or actor Elisha Cook Jr. Try “Alicia.” And if the writer bothered to read anything about Phil Yordan, he’d discover Yordan probably had a blacklisted surrogate like Ben Maddow write the script for him. John Alton was not “a cinematographer on THE BIG COMBO”, he was THE cinematographer. And what does “ups the ante in some spectacular ways, which practically feels at odds with some of the movie’s other visual aspects” really mean without giving an example to support this statement?

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Save my name, email, and website in this browser for the next time I comment.

Flo Milli Ends Performance After Fans Hurl Objects At Her, Gunna Shows Support

Latto Pulled Up To Angel Reese’s WNBA Debut In Style

Cynthia Erivo and Ariana Grande constitute the global viewers’ attention “All About the Wicked” movie cast.

Who Is Christopher Lloyd’s Wife? For How Long Has He Married Lisa?

Who Is Kevin Costner’s Ex-Wife? Has He Finalized His Divorce with Christine Baumgartner?

David Copperfield Sexual Accusation Unveiled: Women in Alleged Sexual Abuse Narrate Ordeal!

Susan Buckner Cause of Death: Sandy’s Cheerleading Friend Patty Simcox dies at 72!

Who Is Adele’s Boyfriend? Explore the Renowned American Singer’s Love Life!

Thomas Rhett and Lauren Akins’ Relationship Timeline: How Did They First Meet?

Who is Chris Pratt’s Wife? Chris Pratt and Katherine Schwarzenegger’s Dating History!

Who Is Sabrina Ionescu’s Husband? A Relationship Timeline with Hroniss Grasu!

Harrison Butker Controversial Graduation Speech: What Did He Say?

Antonio Brown’s net worth: Is he really worth -$3 million?

Cardi B Clarifies Why She Referred to Her Met Gala Dress Designer as ‘Asian’ Instead of His Name

DJ Akademiks’ Instagram Account Mysteriously Disappears, Fans Craft Their Theories As To Why

Three Men Shot During The Production Of A Lil Baby Music Video

New Releases
Archival Posts
70s | 80s | 90s
Shorts | Trailers | Posters | Interviews
Apple TV+ Amazon
Criterion Collection
Historic Events
Queer Film/TV
Science Fiction
Southern Gothic
LA Music Scene
Music in Film
Film Festivals
Best European Film
Gotham Independent Film Awards
Film Independent Spirit Awards (FISA)
National Board of Review
About @TheBrownees
Media Requests
Subscribe to the Blog
Sample Page
Privacy Policy
Cinematographers
Classic Film Noir
Masterpieces

Best International Film
Documentary
The Best of the Best
Hitchcock and other great movie directors
Underappreciated
Le Festival de Cannes
Venice International Film Festival
Music Biography
Music Scene
Paramount Plus

Select Page

The Big Combo (1955) Film Review B-

‘ The cops will be looking for us in every closet.’ Fante to Mingo in “The Big Combo”

DIRECTOR: Joseph Lewis

Bottom line: fante and mingo, played by lee van cleef and earl holliman, are the henchmen for gangster richard conte. they are clearly a gay couple, and everyone on screen seems to know it and respect their relationship. they sleep in the same bedroom, albeit in separate beds – how director joseph lewis managed to get by the hays office is a minor miracle. their chosen profession also adds to our fascination with them and adds to their sexiness. arguably lewis’ greatest movie and a film noir classic, it’s also worth watching for john alton’s stunning black-and-white cinematography and the performances of conte, cornel wilde, jean wallace, who was married to wilde at the time, and brian donlevy. “the big combo” marked the final screen appearance of actress helen walker, who was so impressive opposite tyrone power in edmund golding’s “nightmare alley.” the memorable score is by david raksin. original screenplay by philip yordan., streaming: amazon prime, apple tv+ and youtube.

https://thebrownees.net/sixty-five-queer-films-made-under-the-hays-code-1934-1967

https://thebrownees.net/sixty-five-queer-films-made-under-the-hays-code-1934-1967-table-summary

https://thebrownees.net/fifty-two-post-hays-code-queer-films-released-in-the-decade-1967-1976

https://thebrownees.net/fififty-two-post-hays-code-queer-films-released-in-the-decade-1967-1976-table-summary

RETURN TO THE HOME PAGE

NYFCC Award for Best Supporting Actress.

by Patrick | Dec 3, 2021 | Awards Season , Critic Awards , NYFCC

In the fifty-four years since Dyan Cannon won the first won Best Supporting Actress in NY in 1969, fourteen of their choices have failed to get a nomination.

Best Final Movie Made by a Great Director

by Patrick | May 21, 2022 | Hitchcock and other great movie directors

Although Charles Laughton made only one and, therefore, final film, based on this film alone, he is of the Great Directors. Number One: Before the Devil Knows You’re Dead (Sidney Lumet: 2007). Number Five: Family Plot (Alfred Hitchcock: 1976).

My 50 All-Time Favorite Horror Movies

by Patrick | May 14, 2022 | Hitchcock and other great movie directors

Here are my 50 all-time favorite horror movies from 1934 to the present.1. Psycho | 2. Midsommar | 3. The Exorcist | 4. The Shining | 5. Alien…

Nitram (2022) Film Review A+

by Patrick | Jan 3, 2023 | A+ , Apple TV+ Amazon , Archival Posts , Drama , Favorites , Film Reviews , Genres (Action - Music Scene) , Historic Events , Hulu , Masterpieces , Ratings: Movies and Television , TV / Streaming , Underappreciated

As for Judy Davis she gives what is probably her most outstanding performance, which means it’s one of the greatest performances ever captured on film.

Happening (2022) Film Review A

by Patrick | May 14, 2022 | A , Apple TV+ Amazon , Archival Posts , Drama , Film Reviews , Genres (Action - Music Scene) , Ratings: Movies and Television , TV / Streaming

The weeks pass and Anne begins to “show'”. Time is running out. Any attempt at a back street abortion is becoming increasingly dangerous.

The Tale of King Crab (2022) Film Review A-

by Patrick | May 1, 2022 | A- , Action , Apple TV+ Amazon , Archival Posts , Drama , Epic , Favorites , Film Reviews , Genres (Action - Music Scene) , Genres (Musical-Western) , Mystery , Ratings: Movies and Television , Thriller , TV / Streaming , Underappreciated , Western

The directors are extremely cine-literate. However, their references never seemed forced and I basked in their cinematic vision.

Great Freedom (2021) Film Review A-

by Patrick | May 9, 2022 | A- , Apple TV+ Amazon , Archival Posts , Drama , Favorites , Film Reviews , Genres (Action - Music Scene) , Genres (Musical-Western) , Queer Film/TV , Queer Film/TV , Ratings: Movies and Television , Romance , TV / Streaming , Underappreciated

Meise directs what must be some of the most beautiful and heartfelt scenes ever captured on film between two men in love.

Till (2022) Film Review B+

by Patrick | Oct 11, 2022 | Apple TV+ Amazon , Archival Posts , B+ , Drama , Film Reviews , Genres (Action - Music Scene) , Genres (Musical-Western) , Historic Events , Queer Film/TV , Ratings: Movies and Television , TV / Streaming

The 2023 Best Actress Oscar Goes To…Danielle Deadwyler in Till. And as she reaches the volta of her magnificent speech she does something extraordinary…

Babylon (2022) Film Review B-

by Patrick | Dec 25, 2022 | Action , Apple TV+ Amazon , Archival Posts , B- , Comedy , Drama , Epic , Film Reviews , Genres (Action - Music Scene) , Historic Events , Horror , Ratings: Movies and Television , TV / Streaming

I had no problem sitting through the movie’s bloated 180-minute running because, through all of this nothingness, five actors manage to make lasting impressions

Jeanne Dielman (1975) Film Review A+

by Patrick | May 11, 2021 | 70s | 80s | 90s , A+ , Criterion Collection , Drama , Film Reviews , Genres (Action - Music Scene) , Masterpieces , Queer Film/TV , Ratings: Movies and Television , TV / Streaming

In “Jeanne Dielman”, a feminist masterpiece, the everyday details of a caring mother contrast with her life as a prostitute.

There Was A Crooked Man (1970) Film Review B+

by Patrick | Sep 21, 2021 | 70s | 80s | 90s , Action , Apple TV+ Amazon , B+ , Comedy , Drama , Favorites , Film Reviews , Genres (Action - Music Scene) , Genres (Musical-Western) , Hitchcock and other great movie directors , Queer Film/TV , Ratings: Movies and Television , TV / Streaming , Underappreciated , Western

Hume Cronyn and John Randolph are our happy and well-adjusted gay couple. Yes, they fight and bicker all the time. However, they are clearly madly in love with each other.

Kind Hearts and Coronets (1949) Film Review A+

by Patrick | Jan 23, 2022 | 30s | 40s , A+ , Apple TV+ Amazon , Cinematographers , Comedy , Drama , Favorites , Film Reviews , Genres (Action - Music Scene) , Genres (Musical-Western) , Masterpieces , Queer Film/TV , Queer Film/TV , Ratings: Movies and Television , Thriller , TV / Streaming

In “Kind Hearts and Coronets”: Alec Guinness has fun playing all eight (or nine) of the unfortunate D’Ascoynes, including Lady Agatha D’Ascoyne. The photograph shows Dennis Price with Joan Greenwood who plays that little minx Sibella.

Eight Legendary Foreign Actresses Who Did Not Make It In Hollywood.

by Patrick | May 22, 2023 | The Best of the Best

They were the darlings of the art house circuit. Their work in a language other than English is some of the greatest ever captured on film. But Hollywood…

Steely Dan/Donald Fagen: Rated

by Patrick | Jan 25, 2022 | LA Music Scene , Music & Art

Rated: the Dan’s seven classic albums released between 1972 and 1980. Rated: Donald’s “The Nightfly” as continuum with “Aja” and “Gaucho”.

The Best Songwriters from the Golden Age of Hollywood – Part Two – The Great Lyricists.

by Patrick | Jul 18, 2023 | Awards Season , Music & Art , Music in Film , Oscar

Irving Berlin tops the list with 21 songs, followed by Johnny Mercer with 19, Sammy Cahn with 16, Ira Gershwin with 14, and Johnny Burke with 10.

The Great Cinematographers of Hollywood’s Golden Age

by Patrick | Jun 5, 2023 | Awards Season , Cinematographers , Classic Film Noir , Oscar

Hal Mohr** is the only person to have won a competitive Academy Award without being nominated for it. Mohr was allowed to keep his Oscar and won a second.

200+ Great Actors & Actresses Who Have Never Been Nominated.

by Patrick | Oct 26, 2022 | Awards Season , Oscar

200 Great Actors and Actresses Who Have Never Been Nominated: Marilyn Monroe, Kim Novak, Edward G. Robinson, Fred MacMurray, Mia Farrow, Ellen Barkin…

Subscribe for the latest reviews right in your inbox!

Log in or sign up for Rotten Tomatoes

Trouble logging in?

By continuing, you agree to the Privacy Policy and the Terms and Policies , and to receive email from the Fandango Media Brands .

By creating an account, you agree to the Privacy Policy and the Terms and Policies , and to receive email from Rotten Tomatoes and to receive email from the Fandango Media Brands .

By creating an account, you agree to the Privacy Policy and the Terms and Policies , and to receive email from Rotten Tomatoes.

Email not verified

Let's keep in touch.

Sign up for the Rotten Tomatoes newsletter to get weekly updates on:

Upcoming Movies and TV shows
Trivia & Rotten Tomatoes Podcast
Media News + More

By clicking "Sign Me Up," you are agreeing to receive occasional emails and communications from Fandango Media (Fandango, Vudu, and Rotten Tomatoes) and consenting to Fandango's Privacy Policy and Terms and Policies . Please allow 10 business days for your account to reflect your preferences.

OK, got it!

Movies / TV

No results found.

What's the Tomatometer®?
Login/signup

Movies in theaters

Opening this week
Top box office
Coming soon to theaters
Certified fresh movies

Movies at home

Fandango at Home
Netflix streaming
Prime Video
Most popular streaming movies
What to Watch New

Certified fresh picks

Inside Out 2 Link to Inside Out 2
The Bikeriders Link to The Bikeriders
Fancy Dance Link to Fancy Dance

New TV Tonight

House of the Dragon: Season 2
Hotel Cocaine: Season 1
Tony Awards: Season 77
Megamind Rules!: Season 1
Shoresy: Season 3
Grantchester: Season 9
Cult Massacre: One Day in Jonestown: Season 1
Hart to Heart: Season 4
Perfect Wife: The Mysterious Disappearance of Sherri Papini: Season 1
Chopper Cops: Season 1

The Big Combo Reviews

...a compelling, promising setup that's employed to mostly watchable yet undeniably erratic effect...

Full Review | Original Score: 2.5/4 | Dec 18, 2020

Noir wasn't new in 1955, but The Big Combo still found plenty of life within its limits.

Full Review | Original Score: 4/5 | Oct 14, 2013

A pond of shifting alliances and kinks

Full Review | Oct 17, 2009

A fatalistic symphony of light and shade.

Full Review | Original Score: 3/4 | Jan 25, 2008

It is done with grim melodramatics that are hard-hitting despite a rambling, not-too-credible plot, and is cut out to order for the meller fan who likes his action rough and raw.

Full Review | Jan 25, 2008

Where the usual noir takes place in a nightmare world, this one seems to inhabit a dream: there's no longer fear in the images, but rather a distanced, idealized beauty.

Brilliant mix of genuine mystery, film noir, and creative visuals.

Full Review | Aug 9, 2007

A sputtering, misguided antique.

Full Review | Original Score: 2/5 | Aug 8, 2006

Shadows and lies are the stars of The Big Combo, a spellbinding black-and-white chiaroscuro with the segmented texture of a spider's web.

Full Review | May 1, 2006

Terrific gangster movie.

Full Review | Feb 9, 2006

Full Review | Original Score: 3/5 | Jun 19, 2005

Strong noir with sadistic flashes

Full Review | Original Score: 3/5 | Jun 13, 2005

Full Review | Original Score: 4/5 | Oct 17, 2003

Conte is convincing as the maniacal hood, while Wilde is a good counter-balance to Conte.

Full Review | Original Score: B | Aug 15, 2001

🙌 Awesome, you're subscribed!

Thanks for subscribing! Look out for your first newsletter in your inbox soon!

Get us in your inbox

By entering your email address you agree to our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy and consent to receive emails from Time Out about news, events, offers and partner promotions.

Awesome, you're subscribed!

The best things in life are free.

Déjà vu! We already have this email. Try another?

Love the mag?

Our newsletter hand-delivers the best bits to your inbox. Sign up to unlock our digital magazines and also receive the latest news, events, offers and partner promotions.

Things to Do
Food & Drink
Arts & Culture
Time Out Market
Coca-Cola Foodmarks
Los Angeles

The Big Combo

Time out says, release details.

Duration: 89 mins

Cast and crew

Director: Joseph H Lewis
Screenwriter: Philip Yordan
Cornel Wilde
Richard Conte
Jean Wallace
Brian Donlevy
Lee Van Cleef
Earl Holliman
Robert Middleton

Been there, done that? Think again, my friend.

Discover Time Out original video

Press office
Investor relations
Work for Time Out
Editorial guidelines
Privacy notice
Do not sell my information
Cookie policy
Accessibility statement
Terms of use
Modern slavery statement
Manage cookies
Advertising

Time Out Worldwide

All Time Out Locations
North America
South America
South Pacific

Letterboxd — Your life in film

Forgotten username or password ?

Start a new list…
Add all films to a list…
Add all films to watchlist

Add to your films…

Press Tab to complete, Enter to create

A moderator has locked this field.

Add to lists

Where to watch

The big combo.

Directed by Joseph H. Lewis

The Most Startling Story The Screen Has Ever Dared Reveal!

Police Lt. Leonard Diamond vies to bring a clever, well connected, and sadistic gangster to justice all the while obsessing over the gangster's girlfriend.

Cornel Wilde Jean Wallace Brian Donlevy Richard Conte Lee Van Cleef Earl Holliman Robert Middleton Helen Walker Jay Adler John Hoyt Ted de Corsia Helene Stanton Roy Gordon Baynes Barron James McCallion Tony Michaels Rita Gould Bruce Sharpe Michael Mark Donna Drew Brian O'Hara Steve Mitchell

Director Director

Joseph H. Lewis

Producer Producer

Sidney Harmon

Writer Writer

Philip Yordan

Editor Editor

Robert S. Eisen

Cinematography Cinematography

Executive producer exec. producer.

Walter Mirisch

Production Design Production Design

Composer composer.

David Raksin

Sound Sound

Earl Snyder

Costume Design Costume Design

Makeup makeup.

Larry Butterworth

Hairstyling Hairstyling

Carla Hadley

Security Pictures Theodora Productions Allied Artists Pictures

Releases by Date

13 feb 1955, 01 apr 1956, 01 jan 2000, releases by country.

Theatrical 12
Physical 12 IMDB
Theatrical NR

88 mins More at IMDb TMDb Report this page

Popular reviews

Review by Michael Strenski ★★★★½ 3

"First is first, second is nobody."

This film has a scene where a guy is tortured by a drum solo. Your move, every other movie.

Review by theriverjordan ★★★★ 14

Every single image in “The Big Combo” is precisely how noir should look.

Director Joseph H. Lewis doesn’t blow the top off the genre with “Combo,” as he did in his earlier “Gun Crazy;” a work that still crackles with danger to this day. What he and cinematographer John Alton succeed at in “Combo,” though, is making noir look as stylish as it always pretended it actually was.

A lit cigarette is the only illumination in a pitch black alley. Every passageway is shrouded in a layer of mist. Each head is covered in a fedora tilted just so its angle slides into all the sharp edges it surrounds.

There is a depth and texture to the cinematography of “Combo”…

Review by Josh Lewis ★★★★

Pretty gorgeous and vicious gangster B-noir shot with an ominous layer of fog, a strange sexual energy (when she commands him to put her shoes on lmao), and an air of genuine sadism to its suspense setpieces. This thing has a legit torture scene and an absurd body count for the time. “Once you start killing it’s hard to stop.” My jaw legitimately dropped at the scene where Richard Conte and baby Lee Van Cleef both slimed up to the nth degree gleefully Guantanamo bay the cop (the shadowy lines on their faces while they do it!!), as well as the silent tommy gun massacre of the partner who they strip of his hearing aid, and of course, the iconic lighthouse plane hanger finale where Conte is finally exposed with literal light and it feels like all the characters are dragged/disappear into a misty dream world.

Review by Lara Pop ★★★★ 4

'First is first and second is nobody.'

Richard Conte's Mr. Brown is hands down one of the most well-crafted villains of 1950s noir cinema. He ruled every scene he appeared in with his swift, dangerous talk and menacingly unpredictable demeanor. An absolute treat of a movie.

Review by kmeaston ★★★★

The goons torture our hero first with the jazz drumming stylings of Shelly Manne and then by pouring hair tonic down his throat.

Gangsters were just so much more creative in the 1950s.

Review by One Godfella 侍 ★★★½

One step closer to the end of the world. The one-two combo of corporate greed and organised religion apparently proved to be too much for reason, sanity and compassion.

Black and White is a big combo for film noir.

Review by KYK ★★★★½

walked out of this one whispering “that was dope as hell” which doesn’t even begin to do it justice. so many exquisitely crafted compositions. also what a villain! literally got chills at one point.

35mm. MoMA.

Review by noir1946 ★★★★ 19

“What is there about a hoodlum that appeals to certain women?”

Ending 2023 with another Joseph H. Lewis film is an excellent way for a noir boy to close out the year. The Big Combo isn’t as good as Gun Crazy , but it’s a nifty, stylized noir. Again, Lewis, whose H. is dropped in the credits, knows how to compose shots and when and how long to hold closeups. The film is almost like a play, with the characters often posed against bare backgrounds so that we can concentrate on their emotions, of which there is a plethora. Lewis and cinematographer John Alton make us feel the pain and confusion of Susan Lowell (Jean Wallace) because of her relationship with…

Review by sakana1 ★★★½ 19

The Big Combo feels like a cold-eyed sequel to The Glass Key , the brutal return of reality to the fantasy with which the earlier film ends. Here, we re-encounter Paul Madvig (the name is different, but the man is the same), a decade-plus removed from his heyday in The Glass Key . After the departure of Ed with which that tale ends, and the loss of the reason and calculation that Ed took with him, Madvig's ego and blind confidence must have instantly made him vulnerable, ripe for the taking by the next Nick Varna, or Ralph Henry, or even Ed Beaumont. (Or by Mr. Brown.)

The fall is fast and brutal, leaving Madvig just close enough to power to keep…

Review by Janica ★★★★ 2

One of those rare films that sort of floats along in the ether, a movie entirely of its own world and no one else’s. I want to reach out and grab a word like ‘serious’ or ‘earnest’ or ‘authentic,’ but none of those really describe it. Frankly, the movie is incredibly hard-boiled, but in a way different from the usual detective narrative; it seems matter-of-factly hard-boiled, as if the film was, to some degree, reflective of an element of reality. Richard Conte gives one of the best villain performances in movie history.

Review by Cormac 👑 ★★★★ 2

A charisma-vacuum Cornel Wilde versus an energy prism Richard Conte is hardly the most balanced equation in the book, a match of wits this may be but less a bout of sheer magnetism. Yet when it adds up, this is one Big Combo that comes out on top due to a subversion of tired genre tropes and an unrivalled visual flair, elevating this hard-boiled Noir from standard pot-boiler to a much more flavoursome affair. And that flavour tastes of spiteful vengeance and reeks of cloudy judgement. At once, revealing that dangerous pursuit that has nothing to do with justice and everything to do with private vendettas borne of submerged desires. And doing it all with the best use of fog since, well, since that one movie about the fog.

Review by theironcupcake ★★★★★ 22

"Look, Lieutenant, I've got nothing against you personally. I admire you! You've got too many brains, but that's not your fault."

Noirvember #25 (Previous review here. )

After what a success it was to revisit Joseph H. Lewis's masterpiece Gun Crazy, I knew it would be only right to finish Noirvember by returning to his other truly great achievement, The Big Combo. It's a feast for any noir lover's senses, perfect in every department: the direction, Philip Yordan's crackling dialogue, John Alton's glorious B&W cinematography, David Raksin's evocative score, and the many fantastic performances that make what could have been a run-of-the-mill crime syndicate drama into an all-timer.

There are certain actors who were born for this genre, and in my…

Similar Films

Mentioned by

Select your preferred backdrop

Select your preferred poster, upgrade to remove ads.

Letterboxd is an independent service created by a small team, and we rely mostly on the support of our members to maintain our site and apps. Please consider upgrading to a Pro account —for less than a couple bucks a month, you’ll get cool additional features like all-time and annual stats pages ( example ), the ability to select (and filter by) your favorite streaming services, and no ads!

Knowing Noir

Noir+culture, manage account, stay in touch.

The Big Combo

Editor's ranking, average user rating, your watchlist.

Allied Artists, Theodora Productions, Security Pictures

Cast + Crew

A subversive noir featuring obsession, corruption, homoeroticism, and insanity, Joseph H. Lewis’s The Big Combo is like a minefield of desperate acts by desperate characters. With an inky visual palette by cinematographer John Alton, whose final shot in the airport hangar is widely hailed as the singular visualization of the noir style, the film stars Cornel Wilde as Lieutenant Leonard Diamond, a work-addicted police detective with a monomaniacal determination to bring down crime boss Mr. Brown (Richard Conte), perhaps in large part because Diamond has fallen in love with — and wants to liberate — Brown’s captive, suicidal girlfriend, Susan Lowell (Jean Wallace, Wilde’s real-life wife at the time). With so many witnesses either on Brown’s payroll or having been “disappeared,” including Brown’s own, institutionalized wife Alicia (Helen Walker) who escaped through insanity (“I’d rather be insane and alive than sane but dead”), Diamond continues searching for a clean shot at putting Brown away, even (inexplicably) after Brown and his goons kidnap Diamond, torture him, and force feed him a bottle of liquor. Brian Donlevy plays Brown’s number two, Joe McClure, who resents Brown’s position and ultimately attempts to topple him, while the relatively unknown Helene Stanton plays a dancer whose frequent dalliances with Diamond (“I treated her like a pair of gloves,” he says. “When I was cold, I called her up”) lead to her very unhappy ending. Lewis and Alton, along with famed screenwriter Philip Yordan, create here a poetry of brutality, an inventiveness of despair, even violence, such as the execution by firing line in total silence. The Big Combo also holds the distinction as the only classic American noir to feature what most consider an indisputably gay relationship in the assassin duo of Fante (Lee Van Cleef) and Mingo (Earl Holliman): they sleep next to each other and refer to a future together, and it’s Mingo’s love for Fante that precipitates Brown’s final downfall.

By Michael Bayer

Share this film

Click on a tag for other films featuring that element. Full tag descriptions are available here .

Rate+Review The Big Combo

You must be logged in to submit a review. You may also register for an account.

Reviews from Other Users

No reviews yet.

The Big Combo (1955)

Episode #14.

Allied Artists Pictures released The Big Combo on February 13, 1955. Joseph Lewis directed the film starring Cornel Wilde , Richard Conte , and Jean Wallace .

‘The Big Combo’ Movie Summary

When the 93 Precinct finds Police Lieutenant Leonard Diamond’s surveillance of a suspected mob boss named Mr. Brown is costing them too much money with no results, they order him to shut it down. Diamond then makes one last attempt to uncover evidence against the man by visiting Brown’s mistress, Susan Lowell.

Read the full summary , and add the film to your collection today!

If you enjoyed this episode, please subscribe to our YouTube channel for all of our film reviews.

Rate the Film!

Allied Artists Pictures released The Big Combo on February 13, 1955. Joseph Lewis directed the film starring Cornel Wilde, Richard Conte, and Jean Wallace.

Great film. When is the Gilda podcast with Lori? You mentioned it a while back, thought it would be June.

Lori is taking a break until August I believe, so it’s been pushed back to December now. Unless anything changes, In a Lonely Place (1950), Alphaville (1965), Phantom Lady (1944), The Killers (1946), and Fallen Angel (1945) will all come first.

Wow, that’s a great lineup. Glad you finally got to see In A Lonely Place.

So DiCaprio is out of nightmare Alley. Bradley cooper is in.

That sucks about DiCaprio, but Cooper will do a great job too I think.

Classic Film Noir exposes the myths by which we fulfil our desires — sex — murder — and the suburban dream

The Big Combo (1955)

Joe McClure : I guess I'm getting too old to handle a gun. Mr. Brown : Yeah, maybe you're just getting too old, Joe.

Mingo and Fante, with the boss' girl.

Cornel Wilde as the cop on a mission.

“Diamond, the only trouble with you is, you'd like to be me. You'd like to have my organization, my influence, my fix. You can't, it's impossible. You think it's money. It's not. It's personality. You haven't got it. You're a cop. Slow. Steady. Intelligent. With a bad temper and a gun under your arm. With a big yen for a girl you can't have. First is first and second is nobody.”

"Joe, tell the man I'm gonna break him so fast, he won't have time to change his pants. Tell him the next time I see him, he'll be in the lobby of the hotel, crying like a baby and asking for a ten dollar loan. Tell him that. And tell him I don't break my word."

"This filth showing a guy going down on a woman is not for the American audience."

Even with the combo of a capable cast and the kernel of a provocative plot, the result is a shrill, clumsy and rather old-fashioned crime melodrama with all hands pulling in opposite directions.

Some see homosexuals in everything. I guess. You would really get off on the cop and the criminal in les Miserables

Suggestions

Review: joseph h. lewis’s the big combo on olive films blu-ray.

This is an otherwise solid presentation of a beautifully perverse noir staple.

The Big Combo ’s perversity largely hits you on the rebound: It’s another 1950s American film that’s implicitly concerned with repression, which director Joseph H. Lewis expresses formally with tight, compressed close-ups. The film appears to have been mostly shot on sets, and Lewis astutely turns that potential limitation to his advantage: The depth of focus is often pointedly shallow, and the backgrounds are often blacked out in manners that imbue the film with a sense of heightened theatricality. The characters appear to be imprisoned in the foreground, exposed, attempting to huff and bluff their way away from the perhaps inevitable exorcisms of their demons.

The demons under Lewis’s consideration are mostly sexual. There’s an astonishingly suggestive moment early in the film when Mr. Brown approaches Susan in the midst of one their usual arguments essentially revolving around his incorrigible sociopathic reduction of her individuality, which leaves her feeling cheap and embarrassed. A more conventional film, particularly of this era, would’ve concluded the scene so that Susan is simply pitiable as a woman trapped, but Lewis brings the camera closer and closer on the actors as Brown draws closer and closer to Susan, as she eventually lets out an unmistakably orgasmic sigh as he springs upon her. In just a few seconds we understand once again why so many women go for the bad boy, and the answer is what we always suspected: They’re better in the sack. One doesn’t get the impression that the relentlessly tight-assed Diamond could inspire such a moan of anguished, guilty satisfaction, but, then again, who knows? Diamond clearly has his own kinks: He carries on his own clandestine affairs with women of the night, only voicing superficial sentiments of remorse, and, as The Big Combo bluntly states, his quest to take Brown down has a lot to do with his understandably considerable sexual feelings for the gorgeous Susan.

The film understands that the truly wild movies are casual about their wildness, accepting a state of anything goes as status quo. Lewis and screenwriter Philip Yordan matter-of-factly reveal a traditional tale of a cop’s pursuit of a kingpin as having virtually nothing to do with honoring law and order and everything to do with private vendettas that tumble into reality out of the realms of our submerged desires. (Even one of Brown’s henchmen is shown to be unmoored from his homosexual impulses.) The Big Combo is scary, and disturbing, because it never entirely gives over to the kind of outright hysteria that might serve as a catharsis, and so the feelings of cloaked desperation are never expunged. Brown is eventually caught, sure, but not, tellingly, in a fiery hail of bullets. Instead, he’s dragged unwillingly away into the darkness.

Image/Sound

The transfer has problems that could be glaring for folks solely accustomed to sterling five-star Blu-ray presentations, even of other older films. There are plenty of scratches and daylight scenes are often notably soft, but the sharpness of the blacks is remarkable and draws welcome attention to the film’s strikingly angular nighttime compositions. Flawed, yes, but it’s nice to see an old movie that looks like an old movie and yet still manages to present a wealth of visual information that’s significantly improved over prior viewing methods. The English DTS-HD Master Audio track, however, is inarguably sharp and nuanced.

Yes, The Big Combo is barren of extras in the tradition of most Olive Films releases, but this is an otherwise solid presentation of a beautifully perverse noir staple.

You might be interested in

Review: Fred Zinnemann’s High Noon on the KL Studio Classics 4K UHD Blu-ray

Review: Anthony Mann’s The Tin Star , Starring Henry Fonda, on Arrow Video Blu-ray

Review: John Sturges’s Gunfight at the O.K. Corral on Kino Lorber 4K UHD Blu-ray

Chuck Bowen

Chuck Bowen's writing has appeared in The Guardian , The Atlantic , The AV Club , Style Weekly , and other publications.

Blu-ray Review: Sofia Coppola’s The Bling Ring on Lionsgate Home Entertainment

Review: 3 Films by Roberto Rossellini Starring Ingrid Bergman on Criterion Blu-ray

The Big Combo (1955) Directed by Joseph H. Lewis

Film review, film synopsis, similar films.

En légitime défense (1958)
Seance on a Wet Afternoon (1964)
Quai de Grenelle (1950)
L'Insoumis (1964)
The Upturned Glass (1947)

Film Credits

Other things to look at.

The Big Combo (1955)

Directed by joseph h. lewis.

AllMovie Rating 3
User Ratings ( 0 )
Your Rating
Overview ↓
User Reviews ↓
Cast & Crew ↓
Streams ↓
Related ↓

Description by Wikipedia

The Big Combo is a 1955 American film noir directed by Joseph H. Lewis and photographed by cinematographer John Alton, with music by David Raksin. The film stars Cornel Wilde, Richard Conte and Brian Donlevy, as well as Jean Wallace, who was Wilde's wife at the time. It also included the final screen appearance of actress Helen Walker.

Related Movies

Alternate Titles

Criticker.com - Film Recommendations and Community

The Big Combo

Ratings & Reviews

Cast & Info

Collections, similar titles.

The Big Combo

December 18, 2020 David Nusair B , Review 0

Directed by Joseph H. Lewis, The Big Combo follows obsessive cop Leonard Diamond (Cornel Wilde) as he goes to increasingly desperate lengths to take down a slick (and deadly) crime boss (Richard Conte’s Mr. Brown) – with the situation complicated by the fact that Wilde’s character has fallen for his nemesis’ girl (Jean Wallace’s Susan). It’s a compelling, promising setup that’s employed to mostly watchable yet undeniably erratic effect by Lewis, and it’s clear, ultimately, that the movie is at its best in its exciting first and third acts – as Lewis, working from a script by Philip Yordan, does a superb job of suffusing that portion of the proceedings with a stylish, captivating sensibility. (There’s little doubt, as well, that The Big Combo benefits substantially from the top-flight work of its various performers, with, especially, Conte offering up a menacing and often hypnotic turn as the irresistibly smug villain.) The picture’s distressingly uninvolving midsection, then, threatens to render its myriad of positive attributes moot, as Lewis emphasizes Diamond’s investigation to a progressively oppressive degree and it is, to an increasingly demonstrable extent, difficult to work up any real interest in or enthusiasm for Diamond’s procedural-like exploits. Such concerns are instantly forgotten once The Big Combo charges into its comparatively enthralling final stretch, with the presence of several stand-out sequences, including a tense, brutal execution scene, and a solid conclusion finally cementing the movie’s place as a hit-and-miss film noir that just barely squeaks by.

**1/2 out of ****

Brian Donlevy , Cornel Wilde , Jean Wallace , Joseph H. Lewis , Richard Conte

The Big Combo

The Big Combo has a big reputation. A regular on the “best film noir” lists, it can’t quite match its rep and is more a solid crime thriller that’s been polished to a stygian gleam by excellent technicians, well chosen actors and some careful snaffles from other sources.

The most obvious lift is from 1944’s Laura and its strange plot device of a cop falling in love with the image of a woman rather than the woman herself. That’s also what happens in The Big Combo , when upright and driven Lieutenant Leonard Diamond (Cornel Wilde) becomes infatuated with a mobster’s gal, Susan Lowell (Jean Wallace), even though he’s never met her.

Susan is a girl from the right side of the tracks who has gone astray and swapped high society and the concert piano for stud poker and a relationship with Mr Brown (Richard Conte), gang boss, tough nut and advocate of the treat-em-mean method of holding on to women. Wherever Susan goes, Brown’s two henchmen, Fante (Lee Van Cleef) and Mingo (Earl Holliman) go too. In fact that’s who we meet first in the film’s strikingly shot opening scene – imagery lifted from Edward Hopper – as Susan, backstage at a boxing fight, tries to get away from Fante and Mingo, who are having none of it.

And that’s about it – cop Diamond tries to bring down boss of “the big combination” Brown, through Susan, never quite certain in his own mind whether he’s after justice or the girl, while Brown evades escape, and Fante and Mingo hover in the middle. Adding interesting extra plot curlicues are Brian Donlevy as Brown’s second in command, McClure – who used to be top dog but lost his place in the pecking order – and Helene Stanton as Rita, a showgirl Diamond turns to when he wants some late-night action.

There are unusual scenes. Like the one where Brown borrows McClure’s hearing aid and tortures Diamond by strapping it to his ears and playing loud music into it. And there are unusual relationships. The one between Fante and Mingo appears to go beyond co-worker level into the intimate. At one point Mingo says to Fante – “I can’t swallow any more salami.” Perhaps a sly joke by screenplay writer Philip Yordan? Do with it what you will.

For the most part, though, the concern is with dominant males – women can’t help but fall for them, and a man who (like McClure) yields to another dominant male (Brown) loses all self worth. For Diamond, winning the case and winning the girl become the same thing – if he bests Brown, Susan will flip, simple as.

It’s a bleak view of humanity, and Richard Conte is the man to give it voice. With his steely eyes, and cold, still presence, he’s the real star of the film, rather than the slightly understated Wilde. It’s big of Wilde to yield so much to Conte – he co-owned one of the production companies that made the film, with his wife and co-star Wallace (who also suggested shortening the film’s original title, The Big Combination )

Director Joseph H Lewis was known for his ability to turn base metal into gold when it came to B movies and shot this film at pace. For the most part it looks like high-end TV. But here and there Lewis’s DP, John Alton, drops in exquisitely, almost absurdly lyrical demonstrations of his abilities. That opening scene and the famous closing one, with silhouettes in the fog, are a large part of the reason why the film has its vaunted reputation. The jazzy score by David Raksin helps too. He’d also scored Daisy Kenyon , Force of Evil and Whirlpool , so he knew one end of a noir from the other.

A classic? Not quite, I’d say. Full of great stuff, fine actors, arresting moments, but beneath it all it’s a fairly simple whodunit. Nothing wrong with that.

The Big Combo – Watch it/buy it at Amazon

IMDb information

February 2024
January 2024
December 2023
November 2023
October 2023
September 2023
August 2023
February 2023
January 2023
December 2022
November 2022
October 2022
September 2022
August 2022
February 2022
January 2022
December 2021
November 2021
October 2021
September 2021
August 2021
February 2021
January 2021
December 2020
November 2020
October 2020
September 2020
February 2020
January 2020
December 2019
October 2019
September 2019
August 2019
February 2019
January 2019
August 2018
February 2018
January 2018
December 2017
November 2017
September 2017
August 2017
November 2016
September 2016
August 2016
February 2016
January 2016
December 2015
November 2015
October 2015
September 2015
August 2015
February 2015
January 2015
December 2014
November 2014
October 2014
September 2014
August 2014
February 2014
January 2014
December 2013
November 2013
October 2013
September 2013
August 2013
February 2013
January 2013
December 2012
November 2012
October 2012
September 2012
February 2012
January 2012
December 2011
February 2011
January 2009
January 2007
October 2006
August 2006
February 2002
September 2000

'); document.write(' '); //-->

The Big Combo

'); document.write(' '); //-->

, , , -->, ,

Add to: , , , , ,

'); document.write(' '); //-->

LEGOLANDOFFER 2024 Receive Promo Link with any ticket purchase

Get Deadpool's Premium Package Today!

Get Deadpool's Premium Package - Includes 2 tickets to Deadpool & Wolverine, the Official Best Friends Necklaces, and more

Special offer.

Save $8 on Despicable Me and Minions Films

Buy a ticket to Despicable Me 4 from June 5 - July 15 for $8 off t $8 off Despicable Me, Despicable Me 2, Despicable Me 3, Minions, & Minions: The Rise of Gru. Promo code expires on July 20, 2024.

Chance to win a universal theme park vacation.

Buy a ticket to Illumination’s Despicable Me 4 for a chance to win a Universal theme park vacation in Hollywood or Orlando

Buy a ticket to Inside Out 2 for a chance to win a trip for 4 at the Pixar Place Hotel to experience Pixar Fest!

Join the Frontier Pass for Horizon: An American Saga for new content, deals, and more!

Special event.

Get tickets to see NBC's coverage of the Paris Olympics, broadcasted live in AMC Theatres!

Buy a ticket to A Quiet Place: Day One on Fandango and get $5 off A Quiet Place 3-Movie Collection Pre-Order

Save $5 on bad boys 4-movie collection.

Buy a ticket to Bad Boys: Ride or Die on Fandango and get $5 off the Bad Boys 4-Movie Collection

Save on select movies and get up to $8.00 towards a movie ticket* to see Despicable Me 4 in theaters.

Save on select movies and get up to $5.00 towards a movie ticket* to see A Quiet Place: Day One in theaters.

Fandango offer: gift, give or receive a ticket to the forge.

Buy a ticket for yourself and everyone else you want to share the movie with through The Kingdom Builders Gifted Ticket Program.

Purchase a ticket with Fandango and get one free admission ticket to LEGOLAND® with the purchase of a full-price adult ticket. *Limited time offer. Terms apply.

Not a member? Join now or during checkout - it's free!

an image, when javascript is unavailable

The Definitive Voice of Entertainment News

Subscribe for full access to The Hollywood Reporter

site categories

‘the big bend’ review: an alluring and intimate drama steeped in edge-of-the-world peril.

Writer-director Brett Wagner’s feature zeroes in on two young families whose getaway to a remote corner of Texas veers into rough terrain.

By Sheri Linden

Sheri Linden

Senior Copy Editor/Film Critic

Share on Facebook
Share to Flipboard
Send an Email
Show additional share options
Share on LinkedIn
Share on Pinterest
Share on Reddit
Share on Tumblr
Share on Whats App
Print the Article
Post a Comment

Full credits

Thr newsletters.

More from The Hollywood Reporter

Box office: ‘inside out 2’ passing ‘dune: part two’ to become top movie of 2024 in north america, mike faist explains how zendaya’s cameras led him to ‘the bikeriders’, jesse plemons says ‘kinds of kindness’ has scenes that may make “a lot of people sick to their stomachs”, jennifer lawrence to star in, produce murder mystery ‘the wives’ for apple, a24, liz sargent’s sundance short ‘take me home’ to be adapted into full-length feature film, judge reinhold on returning to ‘beverly hills cop’ and annual duck-hunting trips with eddie murphy.

Supported by

Critic’s Pick

‘Hummingbirds’ Review: Two Friends’ Summer Along the Border

The young directors Silvia Del Carmen Castaños and Estefanía (Beba) Contreras stargaze, watch fireworks and discuss their lives in this documentary filmed in Laredo, Texas.

Share full article

Two people wearing glasses hold their hands to their faces and look upward at nighttime; the person on the left is partly bathed in green light.

By Ben Kenigsberg

Filmed in the summer of 2019, the lyrical documentary “Hummingbirds” is a portrait of two friends, Silvia Del Carmen Castaños and Estefanía (Beba) Contreras, and their lives in Laredo, Texas, across the border from Mexico. When they hang out near the Rio Grande, Beba says, “I’ve never been this close to the river except when I crossed.” She jokes that they’re breathing air from another country.

But “Hummingbirds” isn’t a social-issue documentary, at least not directly. First and foremost, it is interested in simply capturing Silvia and Beba’s summer vibe, as they stargaze, watch fireworks, sing together (Beba is a songwriter) and shop at the dollar store. The emphasis on chilling out might not sound surprising, given that the two of them are the movie’s directors as well as its subjects. (Silvia was 18 and Beba 21 when shooting began.) Wouldn’t they be prone to finding their every activity fascinating?

Except that “Hummingbirds” is pretty tight filmmaking at less than 80 minutes, and the laid-back presentation makes the political commentary register strongly from the periphery. The friends’ conversations allude to struggles with poverty, deportation risk (Beba is awaiting news on a visa) and unplanned pregnancies, in addition to their complicated family lives. The closest thing to a major incident involves their defacing of a yard sign, which they edit to change “Pray to end abortion” to “Pray 4 legal abortion.” Yet in a way, the movie is all incident. The closing credits list four co-directors, which explains how Silvia and Beba could film themselves so fluidly.

Hummingbirds Not rated. In English and Spanish, with subtitles. Running time: 1 hour 18 minutes. In theaters.

IMAGES

REVIEW
The Big Combo (1955), Film-Review
The Big Combo (1955) Movie Review
The Big Combo (1955) Movie Review
The Big Combo
The Big Combo (1955), Film-Review

VIDEO

FADED ROSES
Super Combo😂🙉 #films #moments #movie #cinema #film #clips #tiktok
TCM Comments on The Big Combo (1955)
Big Combo offer 😱 clearance sale 🥳 don't miss #festival #viral #jewellery @bhanutalks
KFC BIG COMBO TRIAL #vlogging #weeklyvlog
how to do a big combo with The Strongest Battlegrounds hero hunter

COMMENTS

The Big Combo
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 ...
The Big Combo
The Big Combo is a 1955 American crime film noir directed by Joseph H. Lewis, written by Philip Yordan and photographed by cinematographer John Alton, with music by David Raksin. [3] The film stars Cornel Wilde, Richard Conte and Brian Donlevy, as well as Jean Wallace, who was Wilde's wife at the time. The supporting cast features Lee Van Cleef ...
The Big Combo (1955)
A very good gangster flick and evocative film-noir directed by Joseph H. Lewis. A zealous cop (Cornel Wilde) seeks the aid of a gangster's (Richard Conte) ex-girlfriend (Jean Wallace)in bringing down a crime syndicate. Conte's character is relentless as he rules his corrupt world with murder, gunplay and torture.
The Big Combo (1955)
The Big Combo: Directed by Joseph H. Lewis. With Cornel Wilde, Richard Conte, Brian Donlevy, Jean Wallace. A police lieutenant is ordered to stop investigating deadly crime boss Mr. Brown because he hasn't been able to get any hard evidence against him. He goes after Brown's girlfriend, who despises him, for information instead.
The Big Combo is an Early but Great Film Noir
The Big Combo, from director Joseph H. Lewis, released in the waning years of film noir's popularity, is an example of the latter. Lt. Leonard Diamond (Cornel Wilde) of the Los Angeles Police Department has been on the hunt for the elusive Mr. Brown (Richard Conte) for over a year already. His investigation has stretched over such a long ...
The Big Combo (1955) Film Review B- TheBrownees
Arguably Lewis' greatest movie and a film noir classic, it's also worth watching for John Alton's stunning black-and-white cinematography and the performances of Conte, Cornel Wilde, Jean Wallace, who was married to Wilde at the time, and Brian Donlevy. "The Big Combo" marked the final screen appearance of actress Helen Walker, who ...
The Big Combo
A sputtering, misguided antique. Full Review | Original Score: 2/5 | Aug 8, 2006. Shadows and lies are the stars of The Big Combo, a spellbinding black-and-white chiaroscuro with the segmented ...
The Big Combo 1955, directed by Joseph H Lewis
A film structured by viciousness and pain (amplified by two peculiarly hideous torture scenes involving a hearing aid), it's a dark night of several souls perfectly visualised in John Alton 's ...
‎The Big Combo (1955) directed by Joseph H. Lewis • Reviews, film
Review by Michael Strenski ★★★★½ 3. "First is first, second is nobody." This film has a scene where a guy is tortured by a drum solo. Your move, every other movie. Review by theriverjordan ★★★★ 14. Every single image in "The Big Combo" is precisely how noir should look. Director Joseph H. Lewis doesn't blow the top off ...
The Big Combo, 1955
A subversive noir featuring obsession, corruption, homoeroticism, and insanity, Joseph H. Lewis's The Big Combo is like a minefield of desperate acts by desperate characters. With an inky visual palette by cinematographer John Alton, whose final shot in the airport hangar is widely hailed as the singular visualization of the noir style, the film stars Cornel Wilde as Lieutenant Leonard ...
The Big Combo (1955) Movie Review
Allied Artists Pictures released The Big Combo on February 13, 1955.Joseph Lewis directed the film starring Cornel Wilde, Richard Conte, and Jean Wallace. 'The Big Combo' Movie Summary. When the 93 Precinct finds Police Lieutenant Leonard Diamond's surveillance of a suspected mob boss named Mr. Brown is costing them too much money with no results, they order him to shut it down.
The Big Combo (1955)
The Big Combo (1955) The walls and floors are streaked in shadows and there's a noisy boxing match roaring in the city. Behind the scenes, a girl is pursued down darkly expressionist corridors, with only the self-gratified roar of the crowd as backdrop. As The Big Combo starts we're right in there at the heart of the caper, although the real ...
Review: Joseph H. Lewis's The Big Combo on Olive Films Blu-ray
The Big Combo is scary, and disturbing, because it never entirely gives over to the kind of outright hysteria that might serve as a catharsis, and so the feelings of cloaked desperation are never expunged. Brown is eventually caught, sure, but not, tellingly, in a fiery hail of bullets. Instead, he's dragged unwillingly away into the darkness.
The Big Combo (1955)
Film Review. O ne of the all-time classics in the film noir gangster genre, The Big Combo marked a career highpoint for director Joseph H. Lewis, who had spent most of his career making low budget B-movies, and doing so with considerably more class and ingenuity than most of his contemporaries. This film, together with Lewis's other film noir ...
The Big Combo (1955)
Review by Michael Costello The abstract beauty of Joseph H. Lewis' harsh, classic noir may be the best work of legendary cinematographer John Alton in the genre he did so much to shape. Although tightly scripted, the banal tale of a cop's obsessive quest to nail a powerful mobster would seem to hold few surprises, but here the plot elements are ...
The Big Combo (1955)
Browse 291 ratings, read reviews, watch the trailer, see the cast and crew, and check out statistics for this 1955 drama crime film. Film / TV Games People Users Forum Collections Go Currently at the Forum : Guess the movie from the image
Just watched The Big Combo (1955), a good film that could have ...
My ★★★★★ review of The Big Combo on Letterboxd https://boxd.it/2hl94x. Grab your trench coat, light a cigarette, and prepare to saunter down the dimly lit corridors of a nameless city in director Joseph Lewis' seminal film noir, The Big Combo.
The Big Combo
The Big Combo December 18, 2020 David Nusair B , Review 0 Directed by Joseph H. Lewis, The Big Combo follows obsessive cop Leonard Diamond (Cornel Wilde) as he goes to increasingly desperate lengths to take down a slick (and deadly) crime boss (Richard Conte's Mr. Brown) - with the situation complicated by the fact that Wilde's character ...
DVD Savant Blu-ray Review: The Big Combo
The Big ComboSavant Blu-ray Review. The Big Combo. The Big Combo. Blu-ray. Olive Films. 1955 / B&W / 1:78 widescreen / 87 min. / Street Date September 24, 2013 / available through the Olive Films website / 29.95. Starring Cornel Wilde, Richard Conte, Jean Wallace, Brian Donlevy, Lee Van Cleef, Earl Holliman, Helen Walker, Jay Adler, Robert ...
Review
The Big Combo has a big reputation. A regular on the "best film noir" lists, it can't quite match its rep and is more a solid crime thriller that's been
The Big Combo (1955)
#crime #crimefilm #moviereview #CornellWilde #richardconte The Big Combo, from 1955, was an edgy crime film directed by Joseph Lewis with cinematography by t...
Savant Review : The Big Combo
The Big Combo is a rewarding thriller with a good handle on the hardboiled crime saga circa 1955. It's especially instructive as an example of a movie with a visual surface that completely hides its low budget origin. Few films so convincingly seem to be Somewhere when they're really taking place in a non-budget Nowhere.
The Big Combo Movie Reviews
The Hunger Games 5-Movie Collection for $5 Off Buy a Ticket to Hunger Games; Buy a ticket to Five Nights at Freddy's Get an exclusive digital poster; ... The Big Combo Fan Reviews and Ratings Powered by Rotten Tomatoes Rate Movie. Close Audience Score. The percentage of users who made a verified movie ticket purchase and rated this 3.5 stars or ...
'The Big Bend' Review: Drama Steeped in Edge-of-the-World Peril
'The Big Bend' Review: An Alluring and Intimate Drama Steeped in Edge-of-the-World Peril. Writer-director Brett Wagner's feature zeroes in on two young families whose getaway to a remote ...
'Hummingbirds' Review: Two Friends' Summer Along the Border
The young directors Silvia Del Carmen Castaños and Estefanía (Beba) Contreras stargaze, watch fireworks and discuss their lives in this documentary filmed in Laredo, Texas.

The Big Combo

Top cast 35

More like this

Did you know

User reviews 103

Technical specs

Related news

More to explore

Friday Film Noir

The Big Combo comes up big where it counts…

Key Largo is Both Pulpy and Thought-Provoking

The Big Combo (1955) Film Review B-

DIRECTOR: Joseph Lewis

Popular Articles

NYFCC Award for Best Supporting Actress.

Best Final Movie Made by a Great Director

My 50 All-Time Favorite Horror Movies

Nitram (2022) Film Review A+

Happening (2022) Film Review A

The Tale of King Crab (2022) Film Review A-

Great Freedom (2021) Film Review A-

Till (2022) Film Review B+

Babylon (2022) Film Review B-

Jeanne Dielman (1975) Film Review A+

There Was A Crooked Man (1970) Film Review B+

Kind Hearts and Coronets (1949) Film Review A+

Eight Legendary Foreign Actresses Who Did Not Make It In Hollywood.

Steely Dan/Donald Fagen: Rated

The Best Songwriters from the Golden Age of Hollywood – Part Two – The Great Lyricists.

The Great Cinematographers of Hollywood’s Golden Age

200+ Great Actors & Actresses Who Have Never Been Nominated.

Subscribe for the latest reviews right in your inbox!

Log in or sign up for Rotten Tomatoes

Email not verified

Sign up for the Rotten Tomatoes newsletter to get weekly updates on:

Movies / TV

The Big Combo Reviews

The Big Combo

Cast and crew

Letterboxd — Your life in film

Add to your films…

Add to lists

Where to watch

The Most Startling Story The Screen Has Ever Dared Reveal!

Director Director

Producer Producer

Writer Writer

Editor Editor

Cinematography Cinematography

Production Design Production Design

Sound Sound

Costume Design Costume Design

Hairstyling Hairstyling

Releases by Date

Popular reviews

Similar Films

Mentioned by

Select your preferred backdrop

Knowing Noir

The Big Combo

Cast + Crew

Rate+Review The Big Combo

Reviews from Other Users

The Big Combo (1955)

‘The Big Combo’ Movie Summary

Rate the Film!

The Big Combo (1955)

Suggestions

Image/Sound

You might be interested in

Review: Fred Zinnemann’s High Noon on the KL Studio Classics 4K UHD Blu-ray

Review: Anthony Mann’s The Tin Star , Starring Henry Fonda, on Arrow Video Blu-ray

Review: John Sturges’s Gunfight at the O.K. Corral on Kino Lorber 4K UHD Blu-ray

Chuck Bowen

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Blu-ray Review: Sofia Coppola’s The Bling Ring on Lionsgate Home Entertainment

Review: 3 Films by Roberto Rossellini Starring Ingrid Bergman on Criterion Blu-ray

The Big Combo (1955) Directed by Joseph H. Lewis

Film Credits

The Big Combo (1955)