---
title: "The Asphalt Jungle: the reviews"
canonical: "https://film.one/film/the-asphalt-jungle/reviews"
title_page: "https://film.one/film/the-asphalt-jungle"
critics_score: 86
critics_reviews: 7
licence: "© Fi1m Ltd. Written by AI under a human editor; checked against sources before publication. Quote with attribution and a link to the canonical URL."
---

# The Asphalt Jungle (1950): what the critics said

Critics' score 86 from 7 reviews: 7 positive, 0 mixed, 0 negative.

The reviews are uniformly positive, with praise clustering around John Huston’s direction, the tightly organised heist plot and the attention paid to the criminals as people. Most critics find the mechanics of the crime compelling without treating the gang’s private hopes and weaknesses as incidental. The handling of space, suspense and underworld realism also draws praise. Radio Times singles out Sam Jaffe’s performance as the criminal mastermind alongside the plot’s grip.

The differences are chiefly in the strength of the enthusiasm, rather than in any stated objections. Empire offers the most restrained assessment, but still praises the tight plotting and characters made human by their weaknesses. None of these summaries identifies a substantial flaw. The consensus accommodates both admiration for an influential crime thriller and appreciation of its sympathetic, unsentimental treatment of people driven by desire.

## Radio Times — David Parkinson

Rating 5/5. 

The critic calls it an exceptional, influential film noir with everything a thriller needs. They praise its compellingly unraveling plot and Sam Jaffe’s performance as the criminal mastermind.

[Read the review](https://www.radiotimes.com/movie-guide/b-6dk3sq/the-asphalt-jungle/)

## Slant Magazine — Clayton Dillard

Rating 4.5/5. 13 December 2016. 

Dillard praises the film’s layered, unsentimental portrayal of men driven by desire and trauma. He singles out Huston’s intricate use of space and Criterion’s clean, detailed presentation.

[Read the review](https://www.slantmagazine.com/dvd/the-asphalt-jungle/)

## The Guardian — Philip French

Fi1m's normalised score 90/100 (inferred from the text). 

French calls it possibly the greatest heist thriller ever. He singles out its unprecedented focus on the mechanics of the crime.

[Read the review](https://www.theguardian.com/film/movie/78345/asphalt.jungle)

## Time Out — Wally Hammond

Fi1m's normalised score 90/100 (inferred from the text). 31 October 2006. 

The review presents the film as a major, influential heist-gone-wrong crime story. It singles out John Huston’s direction, calling this his greatest noir.

[Read the review](https://www.timeout.com/movies/the-asphalt-jungle)

## Evening Standard — The Standard

Fi1m's normalised score 80/100 (inferred from the text). 10 April 2012. 

The review warmly recommends the film for its humane, sympathetic view of criminals. It particularly praises Huston’s ability to make each character’s personal hopes and weaknesses matter alongside the heist plot.

[Read the review](https://www.standard.co.uk/culture/film/golden-oldie-the-asphalt-jungle-6331850.html)

## Variety — Variety Staff

Fi1m's normalised score 80/100 (inferred from the text). 31 December 1949. 

The review praises the film’s ironic realism and its hard-hitting portrayal of the underworld. It singles out the suspenseful heist and the gang’s gradual disintegration.

[Read the review](https://variety.com/1949/film/reviews/the-asphalt-jungle-1200416575/)

## Empire — David Parkinson

Fi1m's normalised score 75/100 (inferred from the text). 1 January 2000. 

The review regards the film as a seminal, compelling crime picture. It praises the tight plot and well-crafted characters, whose weaknesses make the doomed gang feel human.

[Read the review](https://www.empireonline.com/movies/reviews/asphalt-jungle-review/)

---
© Fi1m Ltd. Written by AI under a human editor; checked against sources before publication. Quote with attribution and a link to the canonical URL. Our review: https://film.one/film/the-asphalt-jungle.md