Crime

The Brothers Rico

William Goetz Productions

United States of America

English

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Italiano

Richard Conte

Dianne Foster

Kathryn Grant

Larry Gates

James Darren

Argentina Brunetti

Lamont Johnson

Harry Bellaver

Paul Picerni

Paul Dubov

Rudy Bond

Richard Bakalyan

William Phipps

Mimi Aguglia

George Blagoi

George Cisar

Patricia Donahue

Jane Easton

Mimi Gibson

Michael Jeffers

Betsy Jones-Moreland

Kenner G. Kemp

Ethan Laidlaw

Estelle Lawrence

George J. Lewis

Leota Lorraine

Robert Malcolm

Peggy Maley

Mathew McCue

Ernesto Molinari

Monty O'Grady

Jean Ransome

Cosmo Sardo

Stephen Soldi

Bert Stevens

Estelita Zarco

William Goetz

Charles Nelson

Burnett Guffey

Lewis Meltzer

George Duning

Phil Karlson

Ben Perry

Lewis J. Rachmil

Dalton Trumbo

Robert F. Boyle

Darrell Silvera

William Kiernan

Georges Simenon

Jean Louis

But Eddie you got even bigger troubles. You going to live.  

The Brothers Rico is directed by Phil Karlson and adapted to screenplay by Lewis Meltzer, Ben Perry and Dalton Trumbo from a story written by Georges Simenon. It stars Richard Conte, Dianne Foster, Kathryn Crosby, Larry Gates and James Darren. Music is scored by George Duning and cinematography by Burnett Guffey.

Retired from the mob and happy in his new found family life, Eddie Rico (Conte) is pulled back into the underworld when word comes that his two brothers, who are still working for the syndicate, are wanted men.

Coming at the end of the film noir cycle, The Brothers Rico sits somewhere in between noir and pure crime drama. Conte's character is a classic noir protagonist, a man who is unable to shake off his past and gets drawn into the dark underworld by family ties. Waiting there for him is a surprise, and not a good one at that. The script is very well written, which in Karlson's hands paints a sinister mob underworld operating right under the noses of everyday folk. There's much talking and very little action for most of the running time, but the dialogue is strong, always imbuing the narrative with a sense of menace, background characters are always a threat and violence implied looms over proceedings.

However, in spite of it being well written and acted with great skill by Conte, Gates and the support cast, it's a dull visual experience and crowned off by a ridiculous "aint life grand epilogue". Top cinematographer Burnett Guffey is wasted here, the film is very minimalist in production, with the film often feeling like an episode of some TV cop show. There's a brief glimpse in the last five minutes of what Guffey could do, but that's it. Conte's character provides the ticket to the noir universe, but ultimately this represents the changing of the guard, a winding down of true film noir. From a viewpoint of the film being a crime drama that provides an observation of a crime syndicate as a real presence, Karlson's movie scores a more than safe 7/10. As a film noir, though, it barely registers and noir fans should expect a flat 5/10 movie. Rounded out I make it 6/10.

The Brothers Rico (1957) Original Trailer [FHD]

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The Brothers Rico

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Cast

Richard Conte

Dianne Foster

Kathryn Grant

Larry Gates

James Darren

Argentina Brunetti

Lamont Johnson

Harry Bellaver

Paul Picerni

Paul Dubov

Box office

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