Great acting by Joseph Wiseman

he was always good, in whatever he did. One of those who can rise above even mundane material.

Unforgettably BAD, that is. Wiseman is one of the worse abusers of campy, arctypical abuse ever viewed. The bearded villains who chased Charlie Chaplin around a building are more credible. This man is about as believable playing an Italian as Ava Gardner would be playing an Eskimo mother.

Joseph Wiseman (the burglar) and Lee Grant (the shoplifter) were great comic relief to an otherwise tense drama. I'm reminded of Alfred Hitchcock saying to the effect that you need comic relief from time to time to break the tension of a scary/suspenseful movie.

What a ham! I realise it was adapted from a play, but he was projecting beyond the back row, through the wall and out into the street! It wasn't untypical of performances at the time - supporting actors/comic relief chewing the scenery.

I didn't find it unenjoyable though, and his ridiculousness and theatricality actually made the climax all the more shocking. I assumed he and his cohort were supposed to be junkies - when they weren't squirming, mugging and gurning they were in a sort of narcoleptic haze.





No Guru, No Method, No Teacher.

Terrible ham. Really poor showing from Manny Weisboard.



"facts are stupid things" - Ronald Reagan

Agree rich, Wiseman is fantastic in the role.

Short Cut, Draw Blood

His part was obviously essential, and also as obvious is the fact that this incredibly wonderful movie loses at least 25% of it's impact and enjoyability without Wiseman's spectacularly over-the-top performance.

And there really wasn't a whole lotta scenery for Joey to chew.

What exactly is wrong with some of you people??????????

An incredible movie with incredible acting performances, and still there are petty complaints?

This is a TRULY great movie. Live with that, unless you are a true 'art-eeest'.

Short Cut, Draw Blood

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