The Human Jungle

Gary Merrill is the leader in charge of the operation, coming to a station that has let everything down in apathetic hopelessness, in which Merrill stirs everyone up and gets everything done at once. The result is naturally some awful mistakes, which they just bypass and carry on head on with full speed, ready to drive over anyone in the way, risking human lives when necessary. The pace is hot, the action is constantly bolting and getting worse in the end, the final chase is the highlight of the film, and the two ladies don't get much chance of getting heard or noticed in the fury of the manhunts. Gary Merrill is always a guarantee for a film worth watching, but this noir is particularly dark in every way, maybe especially cinematographically. It is a wild rush all the way, you have to hold on to your hat, and when it is all over you don't remember much of what really happened and still try to get some hang of the mess of intrigues. It is a film for noir fans of a more exclusive category, preferring fast action to dialog and characters, and you never get an idea of where all this happened - unless it was just any city.

Gary Merrill plays Captain Danforth, the new head of the police department in a corrupt little town where law and order have disintegrated. He just earned his law degree but agrees to take the job IF he's allowed to run the department the way he likes. This means that crimes, even petty ones, will be prosecuted and his plan is to put the fear of the police in the criminal element. Much of this element, it seems, frequent a sleezy roadhouse and the Captain is sure that if he puts the pressure on the crooks there, someone will spill their guts.

This film stars a lot of character actors and no real big names. Now you might think this would be a detriment, but the actors really did well and the material they were given is excellent noir...tough, uncompromising and exciting. Overall, a nice little hidden gem. If you like film noir, you really have to see this one.

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.

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.