While executing an armored car heist in Los Angeles, icy crook Dave Purvis shoots policeman Lt. Phillips before he and his cronies make off with the loot. Thinking he got away scot-free, Purvis collects his money-crazy mistress, Yvonne, then disposes of his partners and heads out of town. What Purvis doesn't know is that Phillips' partner, tough-as-nails Lt. Cordell, is wise to the criminal's plans and is closing in on his prey.
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Reviews
i must have seen a different film!!
Fresh and Exciting
At first rather annoying in its heavy emphasis on reenactments, this movie ultimately proves fascinating, simply because the complicated, highly dramatic tale it tells still almost defies belief.
I think this is a new genre that they're all sort of working their way through it and haven't got all the kinks worked out yet but it's a genre that works for me.
Very straightforward cops n robbers flick, barely an hour long, packed with action but little characterization (except for rookie cop Don McGuire who gets the best lines). Still very enjoyable. Like many, I was confused about the ballpark Wrigly Field but there was one in LA. It was home to the minor league LA Angels, a farm team to the Chicago Cubs. It was torn down in 1969.
Richard Fleischer directed this compact thriller that stars William Talman as Purvis, a clever criminal mastermind who is employed by a gangster named Benny to pull off a daring armored car robbery because his mistress(played by Adele Jergens) is losing interest in him. What he doesn't know is that she is having an affair with Purvis! The heist goes wrong when a cop is killed, whose friend and fellow policeman(played by Charles McGraw) becomes determined to avenge. Meanwhile, Purvis kills Benny, and runs off with his mistress, in a desperate bid to escape capture. Well-directed film has good performances and exciting action. A model of its kind.
A good early killer crime flick from director Richard Fleischer, who really hit his straps 20 years later with the classic sci-fi "Soylent Green" (1973).This film noir is well plotted, has a great storyline and is interesting and absorbing throughout. At 67 minutes it achieves its required result with very little padding.Brisk performances from the gravel voiced Charles McGraw who had made it big in TV in the mid-50's with "The Adventures of Falcon".Tough blonde Adele Jergen, who had a tragic life off screen, is great as the lover of gangland leader William Talman who made a career as the District Attorney who always lost to Perry Mason.If it ever comes on one of the movie channels do yourself a favour and see it.7/10
With the memory of THE ASPHALT JUNGLE still too clear in my mind, I had a vivid comparison to make when I watched ARMORED CAR ROBBERY. True, the finer elements of the John Huston thriller (including first rate B&W photography and an A-name cast), still give it the edge over this CHARLES McGRAW heist film, but ARMORED CAR ROBBERY can stand on its own as a taut little thriller--if not in the same class.CHARLES TALMAN is leader of the gang and DOUGLAS FOWLEY is one of the henchmen who gets hit by McGraw's bullet during the heist. Talman is especially convincing as a cold-blooded killer and Fowley is expert as the wounded man who wants a doctor to take care of his wounds--with deadly results.ADELE JERGENS is good as Fowley's widow, a tough dame in love with Talman. But the big difference here is that most of the characters seem like stereotypes of this kind of thriller, while THE ASPHALT JUNGLE created real living human beings with quirks and personalities that were unforgettable.Summing up: Packs a solid enough punch right up until the final crime doesn't pay ending.