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Underworld U.S.A.

Underworld U.S.A.

Crime · Thriller · 1961

A bitter young man sets out to get back at the gangsters who murdered his father.

Movie details

Underworld U.S.A.

“A Sensational Film That Puts the Finger On Today's Biggest Business... Crime!”

1961 Crime · Thriller 1h 39m

Critical arithmetic

One number, for now.

TMDB

7.1 / 10

Community rating

A bitter young man sets out to get back at the gangsters who murdered his father.

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 Underworld U.S.A.?

The 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.

The Big Heat

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Set in a gritty and decadent 1970s America, American Boogeyman follows the elusive and charming killer and the manhunt that brought him to justice involving the detective and the FBI rookie who coined the phrase ‘serial killer’.

The Naked City

The Naked City

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After a former model is drowned in her bathtub, Detective James Halloran and Lieutenant Dan Muldoon attempt to piece together her murder.

Violent Ends

Violent Ends

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Lucas Frost, an honest man brought up in a crime family whose only legacy is violence, tries to make his own life with his fiancée, Emma. He is suddenly pulled back into the family business he so despises when his cousin, Eli, perpetrates an armed robbery on a local scrap yard and an innocent life is caught in the crossfire.

M

M

Crime · 1951

Remake of the 1931 Fritz Lang original. In the city, someone is murdering children. The Police search is so intense, it is disturbing the 'normal' criminals, and the local hoods decide to help find the murderer as quickly as possible.

180

180

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When an unexpected road rage incident puts his son in critical condition, an enraged father spirals down a dark path of emotional turmoil and vengeance.

Barron's Cove

Barron's Cove

Crime · 2025

When his young son is viciously murdered by a classmate, a grieving father with a history of violence kidnaps the child responsible, igniting a frenzied manhunt fueled by a powerful politician -- the father of the kidnapped boy.

Stranger on the Third Floor

Stranger on the Third Floor

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Newspaper reporter Michael Ward plunges into a nightmare of guilt, fearing that his "evidence" has sentenced the wrong man to death.

City of Ghosts

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A con man who is on the run from law enforcement in the U.S. travels to Cambodia to collect his share in an insurance scam but discovers more than he bargained for.

Suburbicon

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Thriller · 2017

In the quiet family town of Suburbicon during the 1950s, the best and worst of humanity is hilariously reflected through the deeds of seemingly ordinary people. When a home invasion turns deadly, a picture-perfect family turns to blackmail, revenge and murder.

Where it lives

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Names above the title

The people responsible.

Directed by

Samuel Fuller

Written by

Samuel Fuller

Cliff Robertson

Cliff Robertson

Tolly Devlin

Dolores Dorn

Dolores Dorn

Cuddles

Beatrice Kay

Beatrice Kay

Sandy

Richard Rust

Richard Rust

Gus Cottahee

Paul Dubov

Paul Dubov

Gela

Robert Emhardt

Robert Emhardt

Earl Connors

Larry Gates

Larry Gates

John Driscoll

Court is in session

Put Underworld U.S.A. on trial.

Two incompatible taste archetypes. One film. Read the arguments, then issue a completely binding cultural ruling.

The defence The Big-Idea Head

“Form is the argument.”

Every composed frame and deliberate cut is evidence that control can be thrilling in its own right.

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.