The Mob

"cruel... cunning... cold as ice..."

1951 1h 27m EN

👍

6.7

SOLID

🍅

80%

FRESH

⭐

7.1

IMDB

★6.7TMDB · 52🍅80%Rotten Tomatoes★7.1IMDB · 2,725

CrimeThriller

Synopsis

Spoiler shield

An undercover officer tracks waterfront corruption from California to New Orleans and back.

“cruel... cunning... cold as ice...”

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Cast

Broderick Crawford
Johnny Damico
Betty Buehler
Mary Kiernan
Richard Kiley
Tom Clancy
Otto Hulett
Lieutenant Banks
Matt Crowley
Smoothie
Neville Brand
Gunner
Ernest Borgnine
Joe Castro
Walter Klavun
Sergeant Bennion

Credits

Behind the camera

Director: Robert Parrish
Writers: William Bowers
Languages: English
Countries: United States of America

Want more? Switch to Cinephile mode in the header for DP, composer, budget, box office, production companies, keywords, and release history.

Did you know?

Fun facts 🍿

1 / 8

RUNTIME

Did you know

87 minutes exactly — the "classic feature" runtime most directors aim for.

MoodPlayr · trivia#01

2 / 8

ERA

Did you know

75 years old — a genuine piece of film history.

MoodPlayr · trivia#02

3 / 8

RUNTIME

Did you know

Lean credit list — fewer than 30 people officially credited.

MoodPlayr · trivia#03

4 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Directed by Robert Parrish, shot by Joseph Walker. Note their partnership — DPs and directors often return to each other across a career.

MoodPlayr · trivia#04

5 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Original score by George Duning. Worth a dedicated listen after — most great films lose half their impact without the score.

MoodPlayr · trivia#05

6 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Editor Charles Nelson shaped the rhythm. On an edit-heavy film, the editor does more to control your pulse than the director.

MoodPlayr · trivia#06

7 / 8

CAST

Did you know

Broderick Crawford and Betty Buehler and Richard Kiley carry the top of the cast.

MoodPlayr · trivia#07

8 / 8

ERA

Did you know

Marketing tagline: "cruel... cunning... cold as ice...".

MoodPlayr · trivia#08

Cinephile deep dive

The take

Robert Parrish directs. Joseph Walker behind the camera. George Duning scores. Charles Nelson cuts. Runs lean at under 100 minutes. Produced in United States of America. Dialogue in English.

Trivia

Things worth knowing

187 minutes exactly — the "classic feature" runtime most directors aim for.
275 years old — a genuine piece of film history.
3Lean credit list — fewer than 30 people officially credited.
4Directed by Robert Parrish, shot by Joseph Walker. Note their partnership — DPs and directors often return to each other across a career.
5Original score by George Duning. Worth a dedicated listen after — most great films lose half their impact without the score.
6Editor Charles Nelson shaped the rhythm. On an edit-heavy film, the editor does more to control your pulse than the director.
7Broderick Crawford and Betty Buehler and Richard Kiley carry the top of the cast.
8Marketing tagline: "cruel... cunning... cold as ice...".
9IMDB entry: tt0043812 — still the authoritative cross-reference for credits and trivia.
10Only 52 TMDB ratings — you're getting ahead of the curve on this one.

The technical file

Cinematography: Joseph Walker
Original score: George Duning
Editing: Charles Nelson
Runtime: 87 min · 1h 27m
Aspect ratio (typical): 1.37:1 (Academy)
Status: Released
Original language: EN
IMDB: The Mob (1951)
Rotten Tomatoes: 80% 🍅 Fresh
IMDB rating: 7.1/10 · 2,725 votes
MPAA: Approved

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Robert Parrish

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Community reviews

What people are saying

John Chard2014-01-31
★ 8/10
The Damico Dilligence. The Mob is directed by Robert Parrish and adapted to screenplay by William Bowers from the novel written by Ferguson Findley. It stars Broderick Crawford, Betty Buehler, Richard Kiley, Otto Hulett, Matt Crowley, Neville Brand, Ernest Borgnine and Jean Alexander. Music is by George Duning and cinematography by Joseph Walker. Cop Johnny Damico (Crawford)is fooled by a mob killer during the slaying of a witness and is chastised by his superiors. Sent undercover to infiltrate the waterfront organisation to flush out the killer, Damico faces danger at every turn. He's a cop who is hell bent on atoning for what could basically be a career ruining error. It's this core essence that really oils the pistons of this tough and under seen slice of crime cinema. Awash with characters so shifty it's hard to locate a moral compass in the mix, director Robert Parrish (Cry Danger) takes a standard under cover plot and elevates it to a riveting tale of corruption, paranoia and the search for redemption at any cost. William Bowers' script positively pings with the sort of dialogue you could cut a joint of beef with, with most of it spat from the mouth of the excellent Crawford. No matter what the situation, what the danger, Damico has a quip or a put down to always exude a calm and carefree menace, he literally is a sardonic miserablist who is unflappable. It's a wonderful characterisation that's helped enormously by a screenplay that contains some surprises, with a nifty plot line standing out that sees Damico hired by the mob to enact a hit on himself! Wonderful. Parrish keeps the atmosphere side of things on the boil, always ensuring that Damico could be snuffed out at any moment, while Walker's (The Velvet Touch) photography is tight to the plotting. Around Crawford are a raft of familiar faces from film noir, with the villain roll call considerably boosted by Borgine and Brand. From the quite excellent opening murder played out in the nighttime rain, story unfolds in a whirl of sarcasm, set-ups, machismo, stand-offs and mobster machinations. The Mob, under seen and under valued, add it to your "to see lists", especially if you be a fan of Brod Crawford. 8/10
CinemaSerf2023-06-02
★ 6/10
When an high-profile murder investigation goes awry, the lead detective "Damico" (Broderick Crawford) is ostensibly thrown under the bus. In reality, though, he is charged by his boss with using his supposed disgrace to infiltrate a gang of hoodlums working the waterfront. This mob is headed up by the slick and ruthless "Castro" (Ernest Borgnine) but he has always been very good at getting his henchmen to do his dirty work for him, and thereby ensuring his continuing Teflon status when it comes to the cops and the courts. "Damico" has his work cut out trying to convince the man that he has genuinely turned his coat. Crawford is quite effective in this film. He carries off the role of big and burly cop turned crook quite well. Neville Brand is also not bad as the muscle "Gunner" but Borgnine is actually quite weak. He doesn't exude any menace and that robs the plot of much potency as we head towards the ever-predictable ending. It's an efficient movie, nothing more - I doubt you will recall it because it gives you very little to want to recall.