Customer Reviews

Murder, Inc.

5 star:		(3)
4 star:		(5)
3 star:		(5)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

Murder Inc. is a fictionalized account of the real-life syndicate killing machine created by Louis "Lepke" Buchalter to tie up loose ends within the organization.

The film, based on a book written by the New York DA who prosecuted the group, is a told in semi-documentary style, and features a fantastic performance by Peter Falk as Abe "Kid Twist" Reles, one of the group's top killer, who, in a fictional subplot, involve a nightclub singer and the singer's dancer/wife in the group's mayhem.

The fictional subplot isn't strong, and doesn't really add to the story, but the great acting by Falk and his co-stars, including May Britt, Stuart Whitman, and Simon Oakland, plus the fact that this is essentially a true story, make Murder, Inc a fascinating look at the innerworkings of the earlier days of the Mafia.

This is Peter Falk's movie debut and it's a doozy. He plays Abe Reles, a killer with ice water instead of blood in his veins whose favorite instrument to dispatch his victims is an icepick--appropriately enough. He oozes menace--so much so that you can't take your eyes off him when he's on screen and when he's not on screen, you can't wait for him to show up again, even though he's seriously nasty.

The supporting cast is definitely good, but this is Falk's show, no question. In fact, he was nominated for an Oscar for Best Supporting Actor for this movie. The story is of a contract killer organization, whose name is the movie's title, put together by Louis Lepke in New York in the 1930s. Reles is Murder Inc's top hit man. Made in 1960, this is a tough film that reeks of filmmaking at that time. Although the vintage cars are possibly the only real indicator of the timeframe (since the dialogue doesn't use much, if any, of the slang at that time in vogue), Falk's propulsive acting moves the movie slam-bang from beginning to end.

The aforementioned supporting cast includes Stuart Whitman before he started grating on most moviegoers' nerves, May Britt as his sexy wife, and Simon Oakland (really good) and Henry Morgan as the two cops committed to bringing down Murder Inc, as well as Vincent Gardenia (when he was actually thin!!) as Reles' sleazy lawyer (Gardenia is also very good here).

Hard to believe that the rumpled seemingly confused Columbo got his silver screen start as a really nasty piece of work, but there you go. He's a lot of fun to watch. Kudos as well to Oakland and Gardenia.

Recommended.

This film is a gripping account of the crime syndicate that terrorized the nation during the waning days of the Great Depression. Filmed in black-and-white in a cinema verite style this film lays out the methodically brutal methods of the consortium that spread fear to the lawless and law abiding alike. The film focuses on the crime empire of Lepke (David J. Stewart) and how he held his grip on power through his vicious subordinates. None of his cronies was more brutal than Abe Reles, portayed here by Peter Falk in a volcanic film debut. Falk is listed in a supporting role here but his aura elevates an already fine film to another level. If you want to contrast Falk's work here I found it akin to that of Joe Pesci's portrayal of Tommy DeVito in "Goodfellas". Stuart Whitman and May Britt play a young couple ensnared by circumstance as accomplices to Lepke. Whitman and Britt, the film's ostensible stars, are kind of bland but do not detract from the overall power of this film.

By the arithmitic of this review's title, this flick gets a mean score of 3. But, with its lame, leaky script, late-fifties look, and poorly paced direction, it can scarcely be considered good. Peter Falk is so fantastic, however, that it's as if he wandered in from a top-notch film noir onto the set of some mousy, mob-themed musical. When May Britt's character blasts him with a what-are-you-doing-here plaint, many viewers may have wondered the same. Falk plays a hooligan hired by a crime boss to carry out hits. He's to be on retainer with a bonus for each ordered bump-off and will deal only with the big fellow's right-hand henchman (who looks like an accountant). Yet Falk is surprised and dismayed that he can't get no respect from these guys, the mob's mouthpiece, or a punk's pushy wifey. He pressures a reluctant, naive debtor (who was fool enough to pay hospital bills instead of Falk) into abetting a hit that could easily be made without him. Yet Falk's performance is so mesmerizing that one can almost overlook these anomalies. But when he's not around, the plot's poverty is painfully obvious. Take, for instance, the casting and role of May Britt. She's a refugee (from Sweden??) who, after a terrifying sexual encounter with one gangster, shuffles around another in sheer lingerie and dares to repeatedly cook his eggs wrong. Maybe her marabou-trimmed peignoir was supposed to remind the audience of a moll's in real thirties mobster films, because nothing else in the women's hairstyles, makeup, or clothing does. It's all reminiscent of earlier period films where, regardless of the century portrayed, actresses had pencil-thin eyebrows, short, curling-ironed coiffs, and slinky dresses. Though black-and-white filmography should have imparted a certain element of stylistic grittiness, the movie possesses a sort of garishness that might cause a viewer to recall Britt's negligee as bright pink or her velvety sofa as sky blue. The set holding the latter is one of the few spacious ones. Some are oddly cramped, like the crime boss's waiting room, a neighborhood diner, and particulary the hotel rooms where stoolies are being held. At least the shotgun-style diner is made interesting by Helen Waters as its noirishly fat proprietor. Next to Falk, she's the most intriguing character in a movie dulled by intrusive narration, flat cop roles, and pace-breaking plot devices like Britt dancing, Morey Amsterdam telling jokes, and Sarah Vaughan singing one whole number. The soundtrack of her obviously pre-recorded song doesn't even match her mouth movements!

Although, I will always remember Peter Falk as a Columbo or a comedian - This was an excellent role for him. I was surpised by the character -- if you want to see the full extent of the range of acting Peter Falk can do than watch this movie - I guarantee you'll see a very different picture!

Peter Falk's performance is the only reason to watch this film. It is supposed to take place in the thirties, but you only know that because they keep telling you so. There is nothing in the way the characters dress, talk, or act that says 1930s. None of the sets are dressed in a 1930s style. The film looks and feels like the early 1960s, which is when it was made. And the sixties is not my favorite era for films. I bought this because I saw the trailers and they looked really good, like a gritty, late '50s neo-noir. It isn't gritty and there's nothing noir about it, except maybe, visually, some of the scenes of Falk in jail. This film gave me some appreciation for Falks acting style, but other than that, it was a waste of two hours.

Peter Falk is known for his role as Columbo, one of the most popular Detective series in the history of television. Before he was Columbo, Falk was Ace 'Kid Twist' Reles, as cold and deadly as a criminal. Falk was so scary as Reles that he inspired actors like Al Pacino and Joe Pesci to be memorable gangsters themselves. Falk should have won the oscar for his role but it is worth watching him in this film.

This movie, from a viewing perspective, is a typical post-WWII, black and white movie. It's not going to compete against the modern-day thrillers. The movie is based on factual events and is probably more truthful than todays "based on actual event" films.

That said, I totally enjoyed the movie. The acting is superb! Peter Falk is especially good for an actors debut. But, he is not alone all the acting is good. Nothing over-done. Today's actors could learn a lot from these roles.

Why four stars instead of five? Mostly, like many films of that era, the film is a half-way between being a story and a docu-drama. I'd rather it be written more as story, without begining and ending narration.

I'll watch this again and highly recommend it others.

Though it was a decent historic account, I felt the film was a little flat. If not for Peter Falk, the film would've surely lost quality.

Those who say that Peter Falk elevated this movie to a very interesting one are right on the money. Falk, in his first role on screen, definitely plays the most interesting character. Of course, anyone who is a deranged killer is likely to be the focus of viewers' attentions. However, the actor still has to be convincing and Falk does a fine job here as "Abe Reles."

What made this film fun for me was not only Falk, but seeing a few other faces I haven't seen in years, such as May Britt, Henry Morgan and Stuart Whitman. Having watched a few "Night Stalker" TV episodes, I was still very familiar with Simon Oakland. The above actors were all very good in here, as was the rest of the cast, except maybe David Stewart as head crime boss "Lepke." He was too bland for his role of that famous crook.

We even get a song from a young Sarah Vaughan and a comedy routine from Morey Amsterdam! Isn't that strange in a movie about the brutal Murder, Inc., gang?

Another nice thing was the DVD which gives us the original widescreen transfer of the film. There aren't many black-and-white CinemaScope pictures available for us movie fans to see, so it was pleasure to view this.