The Big Combo

Cornel Wilde plays an obsessed cop out to get crime boss Richard Conte in THE BIG COMBO, an outstanding gangster film that created quite a stir when it was first released due to its sadistic violence and exploration of twisted sexuality. Joseph H. Lewis's stylish direction, Philip Yordan's hard-boiled script, John Alton's superb low-key cinematography, and David Raksin's jazzy score all combine to create a classic film noir.

Police detective Leonard Diamond (Cornel Wilde) is obsessed with arresting crime czar Mr. Brown (Richard Conte). Diamond has also fallen for Brown's lover Susan Lowell (Jean Wallace), a former pianist who has tried to commit suicide in order...