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IMDbPro

Meutres à responsabilité limitée

Original title: Chicago Syndicate
  • 1955
  • Tous publics
  • 1h 24m
IMDb RATING
6.5/10
736
YOUR RATING
Allison Hayes, Abbe Lane, and Dennis O'Keefe in Meutres à responsabilité limitée (1955)
Film NoirCrimeDramaThriller

A former military accountant is recruited by the FBI to infiltrate the mob in Chicago in an attempt to break open the rackets. To complicate his job, two women stand in his way, each with he... Read allA former military accountant is recruited by the FBI to infiltrate the mob in Chicago in an attempt to break open the rackets. To complicate his job, two women stand in his way, each with her own agenda.A former military accountant is recruited by the FBI to infiltrate the mob in Chicago in an attempt to break open the rackets. To complicate his job, two women stand in his way, each with her own agenda.

  • Director
    • Fred F. Sears
  • Writers
    • Joseph Hoffman
    • William Sackheim
  • Stars
    • Dennis O'Keefe
    • Abbe Lane
    • Paul Stewart
  • See production info at IMDbPro
  • IMDb RATING
    6.5/10
    736
    YOUR RATING
    • Director
      • Fred F. Sears
    • Writers
      • Joseph Hoffman
      • William Sackheim
    • Stars
      • Dennis O'Keefe
      • Abbe Lane
      • Paul Stewart
    • 22User reviews
    • 8Critic reviews
  • See production info at IMDbPro
  • See production info at IMDbPro
  • Photos51

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    Top cast48

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    Dennis O'Keefe
    Dennis O'Keefe
    • Barry Amsterdam
    Abbe Lane
    Abbe Lane
    • Connie Peters
    Paul Stewart
    Paul Stewart
    • Arnold 'Arnie' Valent
    Xavier Cugat
    Xavier Cugat
    • Benny Chico
    Allison Hayes
    Allison Hayes
    • Sue Morton
    Richard H. Cutting
    Richard H. Cutting
    • David Healey…
    Chris Alcaide
    Chris Alcaide
    • Nate - a Thug
    William Challee
    William Challee
    • Dolan - a Thug
    John Zaremba
    John Zaremba
    • Det. Lt. Robert Fenton
    George Brand
    • Jack Roper
    Hugh Sanders
    Hugh Sanders
    • Pat Winters
    Xavier Cugat and His Orchestra
    Xavier Cugat and His Orchestra
    • Orchestra
    • (as Xavier Cugat Orchestra)
    Nina Borget
    • Nightclub Patron
    • (uncredited)
    John Breen
    • Pedestrian
    • (uncredited)
    Al Cantor
    • Crime Scene Photographer
    • (uncredited)
    Al Capone
    Al Capone
    • Al Capone
    • (archive footage)
    • (uncredited)
    Steve Carruthers
    Steve Carruthers
    • Party Guest
    • (uncredited)
    Beulah Christian
    • Nightclub Patron
    • (uncredited)
    • Director
      • Fred F. Sears
    • Writers
      • Joseph Hoffman
      • William Sackheim
    • All cast & crew
    • Production, box office & more at IMDbPro

    User reviews22

    6.5736
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    Featured reviews

    8adgorn

    Great Chicago scenes

    I saw the show on Turner Classic Movies. The plot was entertaining. It kicks off with a murder of a mob accountant who gave inside info to a newspaper man (the "Syndicate" didn't like that.) The newsman then gets some leading Chicago people plus lawmen together to try to "break the Syndicate wide open." They persuade Barry Amsterdam (Dennis O'Keefe), an aspiring accountant dreaming of starting his own business, to infiltrate the mob and get the lowdown on the crooks. He ends up doing an amazing job, for an accountant! But the use of real street scenes is what made this a very interesting movie for a Chicago history buff like me. You can see many downtown locations (theaters, buildings, bridges, rivers, street signs), era shots (men in hats, big cars, 50s trains & buses) and dialog about real places (Halsted, Ohio, The Palmer House, Maxwell Street). Lot's of fun!
    6Cowc16

    Is Charles Lane in this film in an uncredited speaking role?

    Has anyone else noticed that Charles Lane appears with his back to the camera in the scene where Paul Stewart warns his syndicate partners about not cheating him? The voice also seems to be his. He doesn't show up anywhere else in the film. I have not been able to find him associated with it on any credit listings, including the abbreviated IMDb cast list. I thought this was a pretty good genre film. It's always nice to see Paul Stewart in a bigger role. Don't recall ever seeing Abbe Lane in a film before. I really thought she was better than the other female lead, despite having less to do. Although her acting ability cannot really be assessed from this single role, I am surprised she did not have a lengthier career.
    searchanddestroy-1

    Solid crime expose, despite Sam Katzman's influence

    I guess the best crime dramas that Sam Katzman produced were those directed by the likes of Fred S Sears and William Castle; those movies seemed serious, not clumsy, lousy, such as the costume swashbucklers produced by Katzman, or even most of his westerns. MIAMI STORY, MIAMI EXPOSE, INSIDE DETROIT, RUMBLE ON THE DOCKS, CHICAGO SYNDICATE. I agree that those films propose more or less the same schemes, in addition to the expose lines, undercover cops, gang wars...Nothing new actually, but excellent, if you consider the fact that Sam Katzman produced those films. For once, Sam Katzman did not deceive me. EARTH VS FLYING SAUCERS was famous, thanks to Ray Harryhausen's special effects. Paul Stewart as awesome as he was in Lewis Allen's noir for Paramount co starring Alan Ladd.
    7blanche-2

    good late noir

    The best part of "Chicago Syndicate" for me was seeing Abbe Lane and Xavier Cugat! I remember them from television and their chihuahuas. In fact, I think they fought over them in the divorce.

    Dennis O'Keefe is Barry Amsterdam who goes undercover to get dirt on organized crime. An accountant has just been murdered as he was about to tell what he knew. A citizen's group sends in O'Keefe, with the promise of a $60,000 fee.

    Amsterdam wins the trust of the main man (Paul Stewart), and he sets out to find his secret ledger and anything else that will serve as evidence. He meets lovely Sue Morton, who turns out to be the sister of the accountant who was killed. She joins Barry in bringing down the criminals.

    In the late '40s and '50s, many films were made with a narration, as this one was. Usually they are pretty dry. This one wasn't, with some good scenes and a nice performance by O'Keefe. Abbe Lane plays the mobster's girlfriend, and she sings with. Benny Chico's (Cugat's) band. She was a knockout.
    7Handlinghandel

    hot stuff!

    This is a great little crime movie. It has a truly sleazy feel and is very well directed. Fred Sears! That guy knew how to turn out these trashy but effective crime exposes! Dennis O'Keefe, who seems a little down-at-the heels, is the lead. He goes undercover to blow the lid off a syndicate run by mama's boy Paul Stewart. With his eyes sunken and dark, Stewart is a highly effective villain (albeit a suave one.) His current girlfriend sings at a club he runs. We hear her sing, and she is pretty darn good. That's because she's played by Abbe Lane. Lane had a good vocal style and she knew how to be sewn into a glamorous dress. Real-life husband Xaviar Cugat is on-hand, too: He's her band-leader and is pining after her.

    Though she gets lower billing, the main female is really Allison Hayes. Yes: The star of the immortal "Attack of the 50-Foot Woman." Hayes does a fine job. She's an interesting presence: She looks like a meaner version of Jane Russell.

    The only distracting part of the movie is the O'Keefe character's name: Barry Amsterdam. It kept reminding me of a certain comic on a classic TV show about writers for a TV comedy ...

    O'Keefe had the goods, though. He is one of the best of all noir actors.

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    Storyline

    Edit

    Did you know

    Edit
    • Trivia
      In the movie, Connie (Abbe Lane), trusted only in one person, Chico (Xavier Cugat); as a matter of fact, they were married in real life.
    • Goofs
      Because on several occasions during the film, crime boss Arnie Valent brazenly and openly admitted his criminal culpability to undercover accountant Barry Amsterdam, the latter could have obtained the necessary incriminating evidence against Valent and his accomplices if the authorities have had Amsterdam wear a wire (a covert listening device). Such technological innovations were beginning to be incorporated into crime solving during the 1950s.
    • Quotes

      Pat Winters: You were born for this job, Barry.

    • Connections
      Referenced in They Came from Beyond - Sam Katzman at Columbia (2023)
    • Soundtracks
      One at a Time
      (uncredited)

      by Bernie Wayne and Ben Raleigh

      Sung by Abbe Lane

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    FAQ13

    • How long is Chicago Syndicate?Powered by Alexa
    • When and where did the world premiere take place?

    Details

    Edit
    • Release date
      • September 23, 1955 (France)
    • Country of origin
      • United States
    • Language
      • English
    • Also known as
      • Chicago Syndicate
    • Filming locations
      • Field Museum of Natural History - 1400 S. Lake Shore Drive, Near South Side, Chicago, Illinois, USA
    • Production company
      • Sam Katzman Productions
    • See more company credits at IMDbPro

    Tech specs

    Edit
    • Runtime
      • 1h 24m(84 min)
    • Color
      • Black and White
    • Aspect ratio
      • 1.85 : 1

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