Murder, Inc. (1960)

Almost semi-documentary style tale of true crime mingled with fiction. A career starter for Peter Falk, who plays Abe Reles, killer for the mob. MURDER, INC spins a story about notable syndicate boss Louis "Lepke" Buchalter(David J. Stewart) and his murder-for-hire operations. Nightclub singer Joey Collins(Stuart Whitman)and his dancer girlfriend Eadie(May Britt)get tangled into Lepke's web. Dead serious federal agent Turkus(Henry Morgan) convinces the prolific and specific murderer Reles to squeal on Lepke and his mob of guns and knives for hire. Morey Amsterdam plays a not-so-funny funny man that is a victim of Murder, Inc. Jazz great Sarah Vaughan has a brief part as a nightclub singer. Also in the cast: Eli Mintz, Joseph Bernard and Vincent Gardenia.

While Murder, Inc. mainly revolves around the capture of gangster Lepke, the most compelling character is hit man Abe Reles, excellently played by Peter Falk in one of his earliest movie roles. He got an Oscar nomination as a result. Those who know him mostly as the calm Lt. Columbo will be very surprised by the intense rage Mr. Falk puts in his performance especially during his "take" speech he gives to a married couple who have no choice but to accept his offer of an apartment he gives them. Also noteworthy are Vincent Gardenia as his lawyer (loved his "I'd rather you were dead" aside before Reles-having overheard him-asked, "What did you mean by that?" "It was just a figure of speech,"comes the reply), May Britt as wife in aforementioned couple, Sarah Vaughan as a nightclub singer (in a musical interlude), and Morey Amsterdam as a comic who meets a tragic end in the beginning. Based on a true story but with, as always, some dramatization involved. One of the two directors was Stuart "Cool Hand Luke" Rosenberg. Well worth seeing for gangster movie fans.

For anyone who has read the book by Burton Turkus that the screenplay was based on, the movie is a considerably watered-down version of the ugly events depicted. But the movie succeeds at evoking the grimy environment of Brooklyn hoodlums in the late Thirties and early Forties very well. The leads are adequate and the basic story telling is okay. But what makes this movie worth seeing is the astounding performance by Peter Falk as the hit man Abe Reles. He manages to be incongruously funny, in a way that can genuinely make you laugh, but is absolutely terrifying at the same time. He plays a hoodlum with a grotesquely logical sense of values, who sees life and people through such a distorted lens, that he seems like a creature from another planet. His performance is so uncannily convincing, you feel as if you need to take a shower after watching the movie. The only performance I've seen that comes close is that of Joe Pesci in Goodfellas.Definitely worth seeing for true crime buffs and gangster movie fans, though not totally reliable as history.

one of the better gangster movies. peter falk is excellent as abe reles and a solid performance from vincent gardenia as his lawyer. "Murder Inc. gives a real account of the back stabbing that accompanies the underworld.