The defence The Auteur Devotee
“Form is the argument.”
Every composed frame and deliberate cut is evidence that control can be thrilling in its own right.
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The Big Combo
Drama · Crime · 1955
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.
Movie details
The Big Combo
“The Most Startling Story The Screen Has Ever Dared Reveal!”
1955 Drama · Crime 1h 28m
Critical arithmetic
One number, for now.
Scores change. Arguments endure.
TMDB
7.0 / 10
Community rating
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.
CriticWise case file
What this film says about your taste.
Not a recommendation score. A measure of how closely the film’s taste signals resemble yours.
The archetype split
Who fights over The Big Combo?
For the defence
The Auteur Devotee
“You watch the director, not the movie.”
Read their case For the prosecution
The Popcorn Loyalist
“Big screen, big feelings, no apologies.”
Read their objectionThe split comes from the same five-axis model used by the test, not audience ratings or review sentiment.
Taste neighbourhood
Nearby on the taste map.
TMDB supplies the candidates. CriticWise reorders them by craft, strangeness, prestige, emotion, and pace.
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Where the Sidewalk Ends
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Odds Against Tomorrow
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An old-time crook plans a heist. When one of his two partners is found out to be a black man tensions flare.
The File on Thelma Jordon
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Names above the title
The people responsible.
Cast & crew
Directed by
Joseph H. Lewis
Written by
Philip Yordan
Cornel Wilde
Leonard Diamond
Jean Wallace
Susan Lowell
Brian Donlevy
Joe McClure
Richard Conte
Mr. Brown
Lee Van Cleef
Fante
Earl Holliman
Mingo
Robert Middleton
Police Capt. Peterson
Court is in session
Put The Big Combo on trial.
Two incompatible taste archetypes. One film. Read the arguments, then issue a completely binding cultural ruling.
The prosecution The Popcorn Loyalist
“Technique in search of a pulse.”
Immaculate construction is still construction. The film may be too busy proving its craft to feel alive.