The Big Knife
1955
**
Director: Robert Aldrich
Cast: Jack Palance, Ida Lupino, Wendell Corey, Jean Hagen, Rod Steiger, Shelley Winters, Everett Sloane, Ilka Chase, Nick Dennis, Wesley Addy
Disillusioned actor Charlie Castle wants to quit the movie business, but the studio is pressuring him to sign a long-term contract that compromises his integrity. Robert Aldrich's drama about Hollywood is based on the 1949 play by Clifford Odets, which is not difficult to guess when you watch this stagy, wordy, and dull film. Castle's personal and professional crisis has potential, but this is no The Bad and the Beautiful.
