The Square Jungle

Tony Curtis becomes the middleweight champion and puts his opponent, John Daheim, at death's door.

This was the period when Curtis was Universal's beefcake star, so there are several shots of him stripped to the waist. George Robinson's camerawork offers a lot of close-ups during the fight sequences. The effect is to disguise what is going on, so the audience can't see exactly what is going on, yet make them look even more brutal. Curtis shows himself an effective movie actor, performing with his body, often more convincingly than with his face or his words.

With Ernest Borginine, Jim Backus, Pat Crowley, Paul Kelly, David Jannsen, and a brief appearance by Joe Louis.