The Glass Key (1942)
Brian Donlevy essays the role of the boss, who is determined to back reform candidate Moroni Olsen, despite Ladd's gut feeling that this move is a mistake. Ladd knows that Donlevy is doing a political about-face merely to get in solid with Olsen's pretty daughter Veronica Lake. (All Movie)
Country: USA
Directed By: Stuart Heisler
Written By: Dashiell Hammett, Jonathan Latimer
Starring: Joseph Calleia, Richard Denning, Veronica Lake, Alan Ladd, William Bendix, Bonita Granville, Brian Donlevy
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The Glass Key belongs to 11 collections
1. Film Noir (public: moderated by PeaceAnarchy - 54 stars)
2. Features under 91 minutes (public: moderated by epiphany - 51 stars)
3. They Shoot Pictures 250 Quintessential Noir Films (public: moderated by PeaceAnarchy - 37 stars)
4. They Shoot Pictures' Recommended Viewing (public: moderated by Cinephile - 18 stars)
5. BFI 100 key Noir films (public: moderated by PeaceAnarchy - 8 stars)
6. 1,000 Noir Films: They Shot Dark Pictures, Didn't They? (public: moderated by lisa- - 8 stars)
7. List: Noir of the Week (public: moderated by KasperL - 3 stars)
8. The Overlook Film Encyclopedia: The Gangster Film (public: moderated by RoyalB)
9. List: TSPDT's 100 Noir Films (private: KasperL - 1 star)
10. prowler's DVDs (private: prowler)
11. Forrest Watch List (private: ForrestQ)
Browse the full list of collections
| Date | User | Rating | |
| Apr 04 | coldesser | 80 0% |
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| Feb 01 |  |
hulot | 30 28% |
| Jan 24 | UgDemirelce | 70 46% |
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| Jan 15 |  |
Florin92 | 70 68% |
| Dec 30, 2020 | zakkyliar | 70 53% |
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| Dec 20, 2020 |  |
daffodil907 | 70 63% |
| Dec 04, 2020 |  |
TychoCelchuu | 78 35% |
| Sep 28, 2020 |  |
Opio | 60 57% |
| Aug 22, 2020 | tyoda | 70 77% |
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| Aug 11, 2020 |  |
hotsake | 76 84% |
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Starts off a little clunky but gets better as it goes along. Veronica Lake is good but Alan Ladd and William Bendix steal the show.
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| Jul 15, 2020 | flipperrbm | 6 74% |
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| Jun 13, 2020 | D Lightman | 50 16% |
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| Apr 03, 2020 |  |
porzano | 62 75% |
| Apr 02, 2020 |  |
Roshambo | 60 51% |
| Mar 13, 2020 | henrybr | 71 24% |
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| Jan 06, 2020 | DLawrence | 88 92% |
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| Nov 28, 2019 |  |
soraxtm | 60 32% |
| Aug 22, 2019 | gurkov | 50 15% |
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| Aug 09, 2019 |  |
bal3x | 70 71% |
| Jun 18, 2019 |  |
Lionel Hutz | 43 40% |
| Jun 10, 2019 | Hojji77 | 84 56% |
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| May 30, 2019 |  |
Ljusbus | 6 48% |
| May 13, 2019 |  |
FreddieQuell | 47 31% |
| Apr 23, 2019 | AHALE80 | 100 98% |
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| Mar 20, 2019 |  |
Brewster | 60 63% |
| Feb 20, 2019 |  |
FranchWhooki | 80 73% |
| Jan 27, 2019 |  |
Ringshifter | 58 26% |
| Jan 25, 2019 |  |
bizarre_eye | 67 53% |
| Jan 12, 2019 |  |
nobamba | 60 58% |
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Kind of confusing story since the beginning throws you right into all the characters. Fav scene: "but I'm the district attorney!"
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| Jan 11, 2019 | knives | 72 45% |
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| Jan 05, 2019 |  |
buddhalou | 70 49% |
| Dec 21, 2018 |  |
DeLarge | 82 33% |
| Dec 05, 2018 | mathiasa | 80 90% |
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| Nov 12, 2018 | PUNQ | 70 96% |
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Top notch role for Alan Ladd in his break-through year. He completely steals the picture from everyone. Even Veronica Lake! Only one close to matching him was William Bendix as the killer henchman always beating him up. There was so many little things which made The Glass Key (1942) so great. Some weak characters too, which stopped it from being one of those elite pictures. But with what's displayed, we have a real enticing crime drama.
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| Aug 09, 2018 |  |
Fritz Fass | 70 37% |
| Jul 26, 2018 |  |
CMQuinn | 80 71% |
| Jul 23, 2018 | Coheed | 60 36% |
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| Jul 10, 2018 | AchwellFoley | 63 62% |
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| Jul 08, 2018 |  |
Pats_London | 77 44% |
| May 03, 2018 | dragos | 80 86% |
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| May 01, 2018 | John Milton | 60 32% |
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| Apr 13, 2018 |  |
dourface | 70 67% |
| Apr 13, 2018 | kjones77 | 70 42% |
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| Jan 30, 2018 | 10kfilms | 63 58% |
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| Jan 28, 2018 | Vessla | 76 63% |
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| Jan 27, 2018 |  |
cryteno | 6 34% |
| Jan 09, 2018 | cengaveri | 75 61% |
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| Jan 06, 2018 | M-B-M | 7 87% |
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| Nov 14, 2017 | Skerringer | 85 94% |
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| Mar 29, 2017 |  |
robot2xl | 73 48% |
| Mar 13, 2017 |  |
Amadeus | 65 20% |
| Mar 11, 2017 |  |
RYM-byrates | 68 72% |
| Feb 25, 2017 |  |
mCihhh | 70 60% |
| Jan 06, 2017 | Buff | 40 43% |
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| Dec 08, 2016 |  |
Maaxwell | 70 59% |
| Nov 16, 2016 |  |
Mpython | 5 28% |
| Nov 08, 2016 | jerrywarton | 66 58% |
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| Jul 14, 2016 | ryanb | 70 58% |
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| Jul 04, 2016 | Col_Needham | 90 94% |
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| Jul 04, 2016 | MrWhiplash | 90 69% |
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| Jun 13, 2016 |  |
ShogunRua | 67 69% |
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Solid, enjoyable, if often predictable noir. There are a number of individually good scenes, although the whole feels less than the sum of its individual parts. Ladd's protagonist is a canny fellow, but the central crime is simple enough, and there aren't any great explosions of violence. However, it's neat meeting all the major players in the city, and the ensemble cast gives a strong performance. Amusingly, everyone is short; Ladd 5' 6", Donlevy 5' 8", and hulking brute Bendix 5' 10.5".
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| Jun 05, 2016 |  |
MUBIvotes | 33 46% |
| May 29, 2016 | Wulf | 70 70% |
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| May 26, 2016 |  |
sergebarber | 80 85% |
| Apr 07, 2016 | edgardavids | 92 50% |
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| Feb 03, 2016 | kennardjon | 75 58% |
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| Jan 30, 2016 |  |
pmcinern | 60 30% |
| Jan 10, 2016 |  |
andagh | 70 35% |
| Dec 29, 2015 |  |
thundercat | 60 49% |
| Nov 21, 2015 | jamesbond | 74 65% |
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| Nov 12, 2015 | CRM_114 | 80 87% |
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| Sep 27, 2015 | SnoopyStyle | 60 43% |
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| Aug 10, 2015 |  |
JSchlansky | 70 59% |
| Jul 16, 2015 | thirdeye42 | 79 85% |
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| Jun 20, 2015 | debaser1985 | 66 45% |
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| May 19, 2015 | zetes | 30 3% |
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| May 19, 2015 | dglink | 80 61% |
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| May 10, 2015 | jrmoviemania | 70 76% |
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| Apr 24, 2015 | OldAle1 | 80 61% |
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| Apr 05, 2015 |  |
SickForay | 68 52% |
| Jan 10, 2015 | Caracortada | 80 93% |
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| Dec 03, 2014 | Lonewolf2003 | 78 68% |
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Good noir with an interesting plot and that's lifted even higher thanks to some solid directing, but mostly its cast. Veronica Lake is there to just look pretty and does so effortlessly. Alan Ladd does a convincing job in walking the thin line between likeable lead cause of his loyalty and amoral problem solver. Lake and Ladd also do have great chemistry together. But it are Brian Donlevy as the charismatic streetwise corrupt boss and William Bendix as the sadistic hoodlum that steal the movie.
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| Oct 02, 2014 |  |
kyvetti | 62 61% |
| Sep 17, 2014 | angela79at | 60 64% |
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| Sep 14, 2014 | piperson | 88 74% |
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| Aug 28, 2014 |  |
Aron Ericson | 62 52% |
| Aug 27, 2014 | Zipster | 85 68% |
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Hammett's writing style is handsomely evocative of atmosphere and situation and the angle is practically always that of a neutral onlooker, a stand-in for the audience. The Glass Key and Miller's Crossing signify two distinguishing readings of Hammett. The former is a straightforward conversion, the latter takes basics from Red Harvest and then sets them afloat in a plot which reverberates with a virtual mirror image of The Glass Key but also wanders gamely into original ideas.
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| Aug 04, 2014 | PekkaVaino | 62 39% |
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| Jun 10, 2014 | tommy_leazaq | 65 79% |
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| Apr 27, 2014 | mjjoao | 70 54% |
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| Apr 05, 2014 | readingowl | 75 25% |
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| Apr 01, 2014 | Diggler | 50 15% |
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| Mar 12, 2014 |  |
Piglet | 70 59% |
| Mar 03, 2014 |  |
Raf | 40 26% |
| Jan 23, 2014 |  |
JooJoo | 3 30% |
| Jan 05, 2014 | ar656 | 80 54% |
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| Dec 27, 2013 |  |
sirphibes | 73 67% |
| Dec 01, 2013 |  |
joachimt | 70 66% |
| Nov 28, 2013 |  |
Zarkon | 73 31% |
| Nov 05, 2013 |  |
Oliveira | 60 29% |
| Oct 01, 2013 |  |
verbals | 79 70% |
| Sep 18, 2013 |  |
CoinQuatro | 20 12% |
| Sep 16, 2013 |  |
Limdebois | 70 68% |
| Aug 14, 2013 | Cronos | 60 59% |
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| Aug 12, 2013 | filmcricket | 76 85% |
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| Aug 10, 2013 |  |
Sheldrake | 70 68% |
| Jun 22, 2013 |  |
dogsinspace | 77 40% |
| May 15, 2013 |  |
Marte Olsen | 73 47% |
| Apr 12, 2013 |  |
Lobo_Lopez | 65 48% |
| Apr 07, 2013 |  |
norval_jones | 71 41% |
| Feb 18, 2013 | f-adam | 50 38% |
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| Jan 31, 2013 | finney28 | 50 29% |
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| Jan 02, 2013 |  |
TheSaberfool | 50 45% |
| Dec 23, 2012 |  |
Cloudynow | 65 29% |
| Nov 07, 2012 |  |
filmaffinity | 64 59% |
| Nov 07, 2012 |  |
avgcrtckr | 60 66% |
| Nov 06, 2012 |  |
fenixdown | 76 57% |
| Sep 23, 2012 | mosesismoses | 79 54% |
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| Sep 08, 2012 | EpicaFan1995 | 80 60% |
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| Jul 21, 2012 | e-ball | 90 94% |
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| Jun 08, 2012 |  |
Mochard | 66 73% |
| May 29, 2012 | katsuben | 4 61% |
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| May 07, 2012 |  |
Bianca Leme | 8 56% |
| May 06, 2012 | julibu | 70 25% |
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| Feb 04, 2012 |  |
JJ1986 | 60 54% |
| Jan 04, 2012 |  |
drstrangeluv | 55 31% |
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William Bendix far outshines his bigger screen contemporaries Ladd and Lake in this mostly forgettable tale of political corruption. His turn as the sadistic and charismatic lug Jeff adds some excitement to what is mostly a dull affair.
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| Dec 17, 2011 | Hangarl | 70 71% |
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| Aug 02, 2011 |  |
kronstadtli | 60 26% |
| Jun 19, 2011 |  |
afx237vi | 70 69% |
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It touches on a the bigger issue of political corruption, but mostly forgoes delving deeper for the sake of entertainment. The murder mystery element is handled pretty well, but the denouement is somewhat underwhelming (it doesn't make much sense, really). That said, Ladd is good as the bad-ass enforcer, but he is totally outshone by William Bendix as the sociopath it's easy to sympathise with.
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| Jun 10, 2011 |  |
Henrik | 65 46% |
| Apr 15, 2011 |  |
Freder | 72 58% |
| Apr 02, 2011 |  |
nilkynarfy | 75 68% |
| Jan 29, 2011 |  |
kangadoodoo | 65 66% |
| Jan 27, 2011 |  |
Nygaard | 75 77% |
| Jan 01, 2011 |  |
jakartan | 77 92% |
| Nov 15, 2010 |  |
MartinTeller | 74 50% |
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I didn't really care for the plot; political corruption tales don't get me excited, and the story is rather convoluted, in typical Hammett fashion. But taken scene by scene, the movie is mighty entertaining. In terms of individual moments, probably the highlight for me was the scene where Ladd is held, not just for the brutality but also the tension and the cinematography and Bendix's psychotic performance. The film's greatest asset is its dialogue, which really crackles. Lots of classic lines.
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| Aug 14, 2010 |  |
IMDb-byvotes | 72 58% |
| Aug 09, 2010 |  |
dr. radical | 56 44% |
| Jun 13, 2010 | Razuna | 79 63% |
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| May 01, 2010 | Patryk | 64 34% |
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| Mar 07, 2010 |  |
jeff_v | 79 89% |
| Feb 25, 2010 |  |
vsls | 70 62% |
| Feb 01, 2010 |  |
billkerwin | 83 56% |
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A faithful version of the Hammett novel, with an excellent cast.
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| Jan 19, 2010 |  |
iconogassed | 65 44% |
| Jan 17, 2010 |  |
jmsenise | 80 74% |
| Sep 19, 2009 |  |
meester | 75 65% |
| Aug 20, 2009 |  |
KasperL | 80 86% |
| May 06, 2009 |  |
imdb | 73 80% |
| Apr 13, 2009 |  |
prowler | 20 17% |
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an average noir, has some good action, dialogue and twists going for it. it's still pretty silly and thin though
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| Mar 28, 2009 |  |
Boyd Crowder | 74 40% |
| Jan 30, 2009 |  |
Dally | 70 42% |
| Oct 09, 2008 | nuotio | 65 82% |
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| May 06, 2008 |  |
Jarmann | 71 45% |
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Enjoyable, and pretty fun to watch just to realize how influenced Millers Crossing was of it.
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| Mar 02, 2008 |  |
joseywales | 67 48% |
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Decent early noir with some good performances and great dialogue: "My first wife was a second cook at a third rate restaurant on fourth street". Has some key elements that influences Kurosawa's "Yojimbo" as well as the Coens' "Miller's Crossing".
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| Dec 04, 2007 | welike | 30 67% |
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| Oct 28, 2007 | dissidentdov | 70 36% |
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| Oct 13, 2007 |  |
Stain | 60 47% |
| Oct 10, 2007 |  |
PeaceAnarchy | 72 32% |
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A fun movie to watch with some good dialogue and some great moments, but it just doesn't have the punch or style to compare with the better Noirs out there.
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| Average Percentile 55.86% from 158 Ratings |  |
