The Asphalt Jungle (1950)

The Asphalt Jungle is widely considered Marilyn Monroe’s breakthrough role, despite the fact she’s in the film for just a few minutes. The movie is mostly an acrid noir populated by desperate men driven by the barbarism of modern society and trying to squeeze what they can out of it.

Against this dour decor swims Monroe, her energy always prone to liven up a scene whether or not the movie can keep up with her dramatic finesse. I think this might be why she made such an impression on audiences in The Asphalt Jungle: The film is a cynical affair, and her lightness floats above the mess created by these men as they attempt a hare-brained heist.

Monroe shows up 24 minutes in as Angela, the other woman of corrupt lawyer Alonzo Emmerich (Louis Calhern). Emmerich stands over Angela as she awakens from a nap on his couch — but she stirs so readily it’s hard not to wonder if she was really asleep or listening in on Emmerich’s dealmaking. While a brief moment, this dynamic sets the template for Monroe’s strengths as an actor: deceptively angelic to the men around her while containing depths of confidence, intellect, and scheming behind this facade.

The famous Monroe persona has not yet been fully developed; her voice lacks the trademark breathiness she brings to her comedies, and her acting prowess is not fully refined. But she’s still magic on screen, and director John Huston later said that everyone could instantly see it. Though her appearance in The Asphalt Jungle is brief, it is still an important touchpoint in her career — the announcement to the public of the arrival of Marilyn Monroe.

Rating: 2.5/5