Dans les bas-fonds de Chicago

Enjoyable Noir. The lead character, Danforth, has passed the Bar and is ready to leave the force to begin his career as a lawyer. The problem is that while visiting his police chief friend in a troubled precinct he observes weak leadership and lazy cops. Danforth decides to defer the law career and become a part of the solution when asked to lead the precinct. A crackdown and manhunt ensue as Danforth cleans up the city and the precinct. Great action culminating with a chase in a Pabst Blue Ribbon beer factory. Excellent backdrop and not one drop of beer spilled. Danforth makes a surprise career/life decision at the conclusion of the film.

The Human Jungle recently came on BBC2 during the early hours (when most movies of this kind are screened) and was glad I taped it.

A police chief decides to get his men to make as many arrests as possible to try and reduce crime on the streets. People get arrested for all sorts of crimes, including theft, vandalism and burglary. There is also a murder to be solved. Things don't help with this zero tolerance policy when a copper accidentally shoots and kills an innocent man.

The Human Jungle gives you an idea on what life was like in a police station at this time and was made documentary style.

The cast includes Gary Merrill (Mysteroius Island), Jan Sterling (Split Second), Chuck Conners (Old Yeller) and Paula Raymond (The Beast From 20,000 Fathoms).

I rather enjoyed watching The Human Jungle and watch it if you get the chance as it is rather obscure.

Rating: 3 and a half stars out of 5.

The premise and the subtext for this screenplay strikes a chord with me in 2005 . The story centres around a tough cop wanting to clean up a violent , crime ridden inner city area of America , so right right away the potential for zero tolerance policing and weeding out apathetic cops and dubious moral justice is there . As I said this strikes a chord with most people in Britain today since the police over here have never been held in such low regard - If you get burgled , mugged etc and phone the police they'll tell you their short of resources and will come to take a statement a week on Thursday but physically defend yourself against criminals because they run riot in streets devoid of police and you'll find the cops have more than enough resources to come and arrest the poor victim who was only trying to defend their life and property . Sorry if I'm digressing a little bit

The problem with THE HUMAN JUNGLE is that the director has made a very stagy film and in many ways it's like watching a theatrical play filmed on celluloid . Not very good actors have been cast and Emile Meyer as police chief Rowan is even more wooden here than in his similar role in RIOT IN CELL BLOCK 11 and the rest of the cast varies from fairly inexpressive to over emphatic . In fact it's difficult to believe this is a movie produced in 1954 because all the time I thought I was watching something produced 20 years earlier

A great noir-crime thriller. Such a great cast of character actors. Regis Toomey (Guys & Dolls), Emile Meyer (countless westerns), James Westerfield (on the Waterfront, Hang 'em High), Chubby Johnson, Chuck Conners (The Rifleman), Claude Akins. But it doesn't take a genius to recognize Merrill's role is almost a mirror image of his wonderful performance in 12 O'Clock High where he got kicked out of his job, replaced by Gregory Peck. In Human Jungle he replaces Westerfield. Leading up to Merrill's promotion and in the immediate aftermath dialogue is almost identical to 12 O'Clock High. The film could be a case study in personality types and leadership styles.

Gary Merrill plays Captain Danforth, the new head of the police department in a corrupt little town where law and order have disintegrated. He just earned his law degree but agrees to take the job IF he's allowed to run the department the way he likes. This means that crimes, even petty ones, will be prosecuted and his plan is to put the fear of the police in the criminal element. Much of this element, it seems, frequent a sleezy roadhouse and the Captain is sure that if he puts the pressure on the crooks there, someone will spill their guts.

This film stars a lot of character actors and no real big names. Now you might think this would be a detriment, but the actors really did well and the material they were given is excellent noir...tough, uncompromising and exciting. Overall, a nice little hidden gem. If you like film noir, you really have to see this one.