The Human Jungle

The grade B but very efficient crime film explores the daily life in a police station, daily procedural work for cops. You can think about FUZZ or CHOIRBOYS made in the seventies, or more simple you can think about the Ed McBain's or Joseph Wambaugh's novels. It is even more interesting than focusing on only one particular case. Wambaugh was more beat cops oriented and McBain investigating cops, detectives...Jan Sterling shines in this movie and the other supporting characters besides she and Gary Merrill also contribute to this effective B crime film.

The premise and the subtext for this screenplay strikes a chord with me in 2005 . The story centres around a tough cop wanting to clean up a violent , crime ridden inner city area of America , so right right away the potential for zero tolerance policing and weeding out apathetic cops and dubious moral justice is there . As I said this strikes a chord with most people in Britain today since the police over here have never been held in such low regard - If you get burgled , mugged etc and phone the police they'll tell you their short of resources and will come to take a statement a week on Thursday but physically defend yourself against criminals because they run riot in streets devoid of police and you'll find the cops have more than enough resources to come and arrest the poor victim who was only trying to defend their life and property . Sorry if I'm digressing a little bit

The problem with THE HUMAN JUNGLE is that the director has made a very stagy film and in many ways it's like watching a theatrical play filmed on celluloid . Not very good actors have been cast and Emile Meyer as police chief Rowan is even more wooden here than in his similar role in RIOT IN CELL BLOCK 11 and the rest of the cast varies from fairly inexpressive to over emphatic . In fact it's difficult to believe this is a movie produced in 1954 because all the time I thought I was watching something produced 20 years earlier

Gary Merrill is Danforth, a cop turned attorney who is roped into running a tough precinct in "The Human Jungle" from 1954, directed by Joseph M. Newman, also starring Jan Sterling and Chuck Conners.

The precinct known as The Heights is in bad shape: juvenile delinquency, petty crimes, graft, the unsolved murder of a strip-tease dancer, and no effort to clear cold cases.

The department has become lazy. Danforth is asked to take over rather than accepting a job in a law firm. He makes changes that are not popular, putting cops back on beats so they're more visible, and taking a tougher stance with criminals.

In order to solve the murder of Lillian Dean, a prostitute, he questions one of her gentleman callers, Swados (Connors) who works for a petty mobster.

He is alibied by Mary Abbot (Sterling) who works at a crime-ridden club, The Hut. Danforth doesn't believe the alibi. He puts Mary in danger by intimating to Swados that she talked. Can he keep her alive?

Meanwhile, some teens picked up for minor theft claim police brutality- they were actually beat up by the big boss so they could make the claim. And an officer actually shoots an innocent citizen. If Danforth can't get Swados or Mary to talk about what's going on, he's in trouble.

Good B movie, with Jan Sterling giving an excellent performance as a hardboiled stripper. Merrill is an effective tough guy.

Fairly routine, but the performances liven it up. The end takes place in a Pabst Blue Ribbon factory as Mary runs from Swados. It's great.

"The Human Jungle" (1954), directed by Joseph M. Newman, who would go on to make the classic science fiction film "This Island Earth" (1955) is film noir starring Gary Merrill, Jan Sterling and Regis Toomey.

The screenplay is nothing out of the ordinary: a cop turned lawyer (Gary Merrill) is offered to become chief of police in a hard inner city neighbourhood and he attempts to crack down on a large mobster (Florenz Ames).

After achieving stardom in films like "All About Eve" (1950), Gary Merrill's film career seemed to slowly die during the middle of the fifties in movies like this. Having seen him quality productions, one blames the script rather than he for the arrogant, bull-headed and plain unlikable persona he has here. In fact, by the end of it, you want him to die. The limp direction does the motion picture no favours and only Jan Sterling, Florenz Ames and Paula Raymond come out of the acting department with much dignity. It's a shame really that Ellis W. Carter, the cinematographer, and Hans J. Salter's music are found too far below what their talents deserve and manage to make this banal and film noir just about watchable.

The Human Jungle recently came on BBC2 during the early hours (when most movies of this kind are screened) and was glad I taped it.

A police chief decides to get his men to make as many arrests as possible to try and reduce crime on the streets. People get arrested for all sorts of crimes, including theft, vandalism and burglary. There is also a murder to be solved. Things don't help with this zero tolerance policy when a copper accidentally shoots and kills an innocent man.

The Human Jungle gives you an idea on what life was like in a police station at this time and was made documentary style.

The cast includes Gary Merrill (Mysteroius Island), Jan Sterling (Split Second), Chuck Conners (Old Yeller) and Paula Raymond (The Beast From 20,000 Fathoms).

I rather enjoyed watching The Human Jungle and watch it if you get the chance as it is rather obscure.

Rating: 3 and a half stars out of 5.