On M List of Movie Reviews
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Murder, Inc. (1960)
Rate:
4
Viewed:
3/21
3/21:
Murder, Inc. barely covers much.
I'm given a rambling story that can't decide who the leading star should be. In one direction, it's about
Louis "Lepke" Buchalter. Going the other way, it's Abe "Kid Twist" Reles. Before I know it, Joey and Eadie Collins take
over. Somewhere along the way is a black female who sings her heart out for a long minute. Finally, it's the cop's
show that's led by Burton Turkus and William Tobin. This is what happens when two directors are attached.
However, the only reason to see the film is the brilliant performance by Peter Falk. It's like watching Joe Pesci but better.
As a reward, he was given an Oscar nomination. I have to say Peter Falk deserves the win more than Peter Ustinov for
Spartacus. Every scene he is in, he's amazing. When he's away for a short period of time, the movie dies.
Other than Peter Falk, everybody is more or less soap operatic. Most of it is heavily supplied by Stuart Whitman. May Britt is
blond who stopped acting after Sammy Davis, Jr. married her, a rarity given interracial mariage was
illegal in 31 states. David J. Stewart plays a stupid character because somebody of his high stature won't move
into an apartment of nobodies and immediately talk shop, especially when murder is involved.
It's interesting to hear in a Hollywood film the actual names who were involved in the mafia. The truth is everybody had been
long dead and weren't important in the grand scheme of things. For the most part, the government, especially the FBI, turned a
blind eye to the mafia, allowing it to flourish unchecked, and it wouldn't crumble until the 80's, thanks to RICO.
All in all, if Murder, Inc. didn't exist, there would've been no Columbo.