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The Burglar

The Burglar

1957
Drama, Suspense/Thriller
1h 30m
Dan Duryea and his cronies rob a fake spiritualist and then take it on the lam to Atlantic City. (imdb)
Your probable score
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The Burglar

1957
Drama, Suspense/Thriller
1h 30m
Your probable score
Avg Percentile 55.26% from 54 total ratings

Ratings & Reviews

(54)
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Rated 01 Feb 2021
81
75th
An improbable mini-masterpiece of scum and polite sleaze. What starts out as a gripping heist picture very soon detours into a soul-search lit chiaroscuro: dirty men and sad women gambling their life's worth on a botched job, stuck in a room together, idle hands twiddling their thumbs. The themes somehow also flirt with partner swapping and incest - God knows how it works, but the performances from Duryea, Vickers, and refreshingly Mansfield feel authentic: strong and tired all at once.
Rated 13 Nov 2011
88
90th
Based on the title and the start you might imagine this will be a heist film, but the well executed heist scene is merely the setup for an examination of the way these characters cope with the stress of hiding out, as well as other group dynamic tensions that get slowly revealed. It doesn't have showy scenes, but it's gripping all the way in large part thanks to Duryea's superb performance. He goes all out creating a sympathetic, flawed, multifaceted burglar who you find yourself rooting for.
Rated 25 Nov 2016
84
95th
Was not surprised to learn that this was a debut film. It's crammed with visual ideas and you get the sense that Wendkos, as if fearing that he would never get to make another film, put everything he had into it. Fantastically enough, it actually works to highten the emotions. Duryea and Mansfield give very moving performances too.
Rated 26 Nov 2012
55
39th
A so-so noir. Musical score is over the top. Some of the acting is too.
Rated 05 Nov 2010
95
98th
Terrific sense of style and confidence, loads of eccentric and artsy touches. Edits are often done with extreme economy, sometimes even alarming abruptness. Kaplan's music is used brilliantly. There's a flashback scene that borders on the avant-garde. The camerawork is very artful, and the film is packed with intriguing drama and plot turns. The rhythms are odd and unsettling. Duryea is perhaps at his very best here, Mansfield displays a vulnerability I wouldn't have thought her capable of.
Rated 09 Mar 2014
52
16th
Not impressed. The score is really intrusive and the plot just isn't as strong as the filmmakers think it is. Duryea is good, but that isn't nearly enough to make this anything more than barely watchable.
Rated 19 Mar 2023
76
46th
A raw, plain noir of the late 1950s where characters look aged and visual gloss is reduced. Anxiety defines the atmosphere, leaving room for sympathy towards Duryea's character. Didn't find the film that gripping, but it sets a mood that feels honest and natural for the story.

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