Movie Review:The Big Town (1987)

“The Big Town,” directed by Ben Bolt and featuring a powerhouse cast including Matt Dillon, Diane Lane, Tommy Lee Jones, Bruce Dern, Lee Grant, and Suzy Amis, is a colorful and interesting neo-noir that is worth watching.

Set in the 50s, its cinematography is noteworthy. The studio-created Chicago of the 50s actually resembles a city of the 20s neo-noir movies, with neon signs, gambling dens, diners, and dark alleys. However, the movie’s cinematographer Ralph D. Bode enhances this universe by adding a hue of colors in each frame, making the movie a visual treat.

The plot follows the adventures of J.C. Cullen, a small-town crapshooter who has come to Chicago seeking a bright future.

Cullen is a young man living with his mother and working a petty job in his small town. Under the mentorship of Hooker (Don Francks), a former gambler, he masters the art of crap-shooting.Upon Hooker’s encouragement, Cullen moves to Chicago aspiring to make his fortunes.

As is evident from the movie’s plot and back-in-the-day sets, the movie recreates a classic film noir in vivid color. As the late, great Roger Ebert put it, “It is a great looking movie.”

He gains employment with the blind Mr. Edwards (Bruce Dern) and his wife, Ferguson (Lee Grant), who hire gamblers to earn a sizable income. When an employee wins at a gambling place in the area, the Edwards get the lion’s share of the winnings, and the rest becomes the employee’s income.

Cullen befriends a young single mother, Aggie (Suzy Amis), and their relationship soon turns romantic. Cullen’s dexterity with dice makes him one of the biggest income earners for the Edwards. He visits the gambling den of the notorious Cole (Tommy Lee Jones) and continues to win big. There, he meets Lorry (Diane Lane), Cole’s young and beautiful wife, who also moonlights as an exotic dancer. Cullen soon learns that Cole duped Lorry by promising to make her a partner in his business, then marrying her, and now exploiting her by making her work as a stripper.

Cole, jealous of Cullen’s winnings, falsely accuses Cullen of cheating and has him beaten up and kicked out of his establishment. Lorry, who has observed the incident and is seemingly disturbed by it, visits Cullen, and the two soon become involved in a passionate affair. Cullen becomes obsessed with Lorry.

While at another gambling establishment, Cullen meets Phil Carpenter (Tom Skerritt) and uncovers a dark secret about him. This secret has powerful and dangerous implications, placing Cullen in mortal danger. Hopelessly in love with Lorry, Cullen agrees to do all he can to help her break away from Cole. He does not realize that he is a pawn in a diabolical scheme.

The plot has all the makings of a film noir. Its characters include the femme fatale, the hero with moral ambiguity who will soon be her patsy, the good girl, and the villainous gambling boss. Then there is the ‘improvised’ neo-noir ending.

Matt Dillon delivers a great performance as Cullen, assisted by Diane Lane, who expertly plays the femme fatale, and Suzy Amis, the good-bad girl. The role of the fierce and intimidating Cole is perfect for Tommy Lee Jones, who has played similar bad guys in many movies.

While the movie did not make it big at the box office and received mixed reviews from critics, it is an enjoyable one-time watch.