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The Big Combo Movie Review

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Actors: Cornel Wilde, Richard Conte, Brian Donlevy, Jean Wallace, Lee Van Cleef
Review Summary and Plot Commentary about The Big Combo
Based on a screenplay directly written for the screen by Philip Yordan, THE BIG COMBO is a movie directed by Joseph H. Lewis in 1955.

For 3 years now, police officer Cornel Wilde has vainly tried to gather evidences against Richard Conte, an important boss of the NYC mob. His chief asks him to close the case but Wilde is giving the unique opportunity to question Jean Wallace, Conte's girlfriend, who's just tried to commit suicide. Conte is becoming nervous and eliminates one by one the people who could help Wilde in his quest. Film noir at its best.

--Daniel Staebler, Resident Scholar




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Analysis of The Big Combo
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Ratings are on a 1-10 scale (Low to High)
Plot
Composition of Movie
Actual chase scenes or violence - 20%
Planning/preparing, gather info, debate puzzles/motives - 40%
Feelings, relationships, character bio/development - 40%



Time/Era of Movie: - 1930's-1950's
Crime & Police Story? Yes
Crime story: - catching/stopping killer
If this is a criminal POV story... - criminals killing each other

Main Character
Identity: - Male
Profession/status: - police/lawman
Age: - 20's-30's
Eccentric: Yes - obsessed
Hair style - short/standard straight (man)
Body type - average (man)
Events of movie makes character more... - irritated
Ethnicity/Nationality - White (American)
How sensitive is this character? - middling sensitive to others' feelings
Intelligence - Average intelligence
Physique - average physique

Secondary Main Character
Identity: - Female
Hair color - blonde
Hair style - (woman) medium/shoulderlgn, straight
How much in movie? - 80%
Ethnicity/Nationality - White (American)

Main Adversary
Identity: - Male
Age: - 40's-50's
Profession/status: - criminal
Eccentric: Yes - mentally ill
How much of work is main antagonist actually present in: - 90%-100%
Hair type - (man) short/standard straight
Body type - average (man)
Ethnicity/Nationality - White (American)
Intelligence - Smarter than most other characters
Physique - average physique
Sense of humor - Cynical sense of humor
How sensitive is this character? - mean, arrogant

Setting
United States Yes
The US: - Northeast
City? Yes
City: - New York
Misc setting - prison

Style
Accounts of torture and death? - moderately messy visuals of dead
Movie makes you feel... - excited
How many deaths in film? - 3-4
Kind of violence: - guns
Unusual forms of death - flamed - perforation--bullets
Check here if B&W Yes
If Soundtrack VERY NOTICEABLE... - Orchestra/classical
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