Noirvember: The Big Combo (1955)

Arkadin Cinema & Bar is screening The Big Combo (1955) on Sunday, November 1, as part of its Noirvember series. It's a black-and-white noir directed by Joseph H. Lewis, and it fits the mood of the month perfectly.

Cornel Wilde stars as Lt. Diamond, a cop hunting down the gangster kingpin Mr. Brown, played by Richard Conte. The film is known for its visuals, starting with a jazzy opening theme and building toward a fog-bathed gunfight climax that draws on the rich, shadowy cinematography of John Alton. If you're into the high-contrast look of classic noir, that's exactly what you'll find here.

One of the movie's most famous sequences is a musical torture scene that later served as an inspiration for Quentin Tarantino's Reservoir Dogs, so there's a direct line from this 1955 thriller to one of the most recognizable scenes in modern crime cinema.

The screening runs from 3 PM to 4:30 PM, and tickets are $3.