Noir wasn't new in 1955, but The Big Combo still found plenty of life within its limits.

It is done with grim melodramatics that are hard-hitting despite a rambling, not-too-credible plot, and is cut out to order for the meller fan who likes his action rough and raw.

Where the usual noir takes place in a nightmare world, this one seems to inhabit a dream: there's no longer fear in the images, but rather a distanced, idealized beauty.

Film noir offerings often come across as cool and collected, but not this one.