The Brothers Rico

There’s something about Phil Karlson’s The Brothers Rico that has resisted consensus on its noir credentials among critics and fans. That largely stems from the film’s shortage of standard noir visual style, especially considering that its cinematographer, Burnett Guffey, had lensed so many of the cycle’s classic works (Johnny O’Clock, 1947; The Reckless Moment, 1949; In a Lonely Place, 1950); some have called its look “flat” while others have lamented that it takes place largely in daylight. Story-wise, even if some might prefer to call it a family crime drama a la Coppola and Scorsese (an admirer of the film), it’s noir through and through: three brothers try to leave the mob but are hunted down by the syndicate one by one. Richard Conte stars as Eddie Rico, the former mob accountant who’s been more successful than his brothers at escaping: in fact, he and his wife Alice (Dianne Foster) are living a normal suburban lifestyle, still deeply in love and seeking to adopt a child. Gino (Paul Picerni) and Johnny (James Darren), however, have had a rougher time resisting the pull of the swamp, so it’s up to Eddie to go back in and save them. The “organization,” forever anxious about squealers, must clamp down, activating its nationwide network of goons to suppress the brothers at all costs. While Conte’s character might come across as far too naïve given the circumstances, Larry Gates is exceptional as “Uncle” Sid Kubik, the big boss who the boys have always thought of as a father figure. Based on a novel by European crime legend Georges Simenon, the script was written in part pseudonymously by another legend, Dalton Trumbo, who was blacklisted at the time.