The Big Knife
1955 · Movie · NR · 111 min · ★ 6.0 · 83% critics
A troubled movie star wants out of a long studio deal and hopes for a fresh start, but powerful insiders push back hard. As pressure builds from blackmail, career fears, and a crumbling marriage, the story turns into a tense portrait of old Hollywood at its most ruthless.
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Details
- Years
- 1955
- Release date
- 1955-10-25
- Language
- English
- Rated
- NR
- Runtime
- 111 min
- Max quality
- SD
- Critic score
- 83/100
- TMDB rating
- 6.0/10 (96 votes)
- Budget
- $460,000
About
You may like this if you enjoy sharp, pressure-cooker dramas about corruption and compromise, especially older noir-adjacent films like Force of Evil; Not for you if you want fast pacing, subtle emotion, or lots of action.
Pros: biting Hollywood critique; strong ensemble acting; tense, claustrophobic drama | Cons: very talky; stagey single-room feel; melodrama may feel dated
Themes
- movie business
- blackmail
- film noir
- bel air
Cast & crew
Jack Palance
as Charles Castle
Ida Lupino
as Marion Castle
Wendell Corey
as Smiley Coy
Jean Hagen
as Connie Bliss
Rod Steiger
as Stanley Shriner Hoff
Shelley Winters
as Dixie Evans
Ilka Chase
as Patty Benedict
Everett Sloane
as Nat Danziger
Wesley Addy
as Horatio "Hank" Teagle
Paul Langton
as Buddy Bliss
Directed by Robert Aldrich