Underworld U.S.A.

Underworld U.S.A.
1961- Columbia Pictures
Directed by Samuel Fuller



SYNOPSIS

14 year old Tolly Devlin watches his father beaten to death in an alley by 4 men. He recognized one man but refuses to tell the cops. Twenty years later, Tolly (Cliff Robertson) is still vowing revenge. During his latest stint in prison, he watched the one man he knew die in the prison hospital. On his deathbed, the killer reveals the names of the three others. They are now the head syndicate leaders. Tolly worms his way into their mob and waits for the right time to strike.



MY THOUGHTS

Film Noir petered out as a film style in the mid-50's, so Underworld U.S.A. is a little late to the party, but it is fashionably late.

The astoundingly stylish lighting and camera angles add as much to the tension as the tight direction of Samuel Fuller and a strong script (also by Fuller.) The gritty story moves at a fast pace and rarely comes up for air. There is a love story that at times feels tacked on, but winds up intricately tied into the main plot of the film.

Samuel Fuller's work, though always respected, has been rediscovered and examined closer in the last several years thanks to a few DVD box sets of his early work, like the one that features Underworld U.S.A. He almost exclusively made westerns, war films and noir during this era. This is one of his best films.

The 'hero' of the film is superbly played by Cliff Robertson. Like many a noir protagonist, Tolly Devlin is a man we simply cannot root for, yet he's better than the villains. Robertson makes Devlin totally believable. We don't see an actor playing a part. Robertson IS Devlin... and somehow almost makes Devlin sympathetic, but thankfully does not.

Underworld U.S.A. is a taught and exciting film from start to close.