Directed by Robert Parrish, The Mob is a gritty, fast-paced film noir crime thriller that plunges into the corrupt world of New York’s waterfront rackets. Starring Broderick Crawford, the film blends undercover intrigue, postwar realism, and noir aesthetics to deliver a tense and muscular story of justice versus organized crime.
Plot Summary
Police detective Johnny Damico (Crawford) botches a murder case and is publicly suspended—but it’s all a ruse. Secretly, he’s assigned to go undercover as Tim Flynn, a tough ex-con, to infiltrate the mob controlling the docks. As he navigates a world of longshoremen, crooked union bosses, and violent enforcers, Damico must uncover the identity of the mysterious kingpin pulling the strings.
The deeper he goes, the more dangerous the game becomes. With every step, he risks exposure, betrayal, and death. The film builds toward a tense climax involving a hospital shootout and a final confrontation that reveals the mob’s true face.
Cast Highlights
- Broderick Crawford as Johnny Damico / Tim Flynn
- Betty Buehler as Mary Kiernan
- Richard Kiley, Otto Hulett, and Ernest Borgnine in early roles
- Charles Bronson appears in a small part as an angry dockworker—his third film role ever
Behind-the-Scenes Trivia
- Crawford went on a 60-day promotional tour across the U.S. to support the film, visiting theaters, police stations, and civic groups
- The film uses fluorescent and UV forensic techniques, reflecting post-WWII advances in police science
- The name of the fictional drink “Old Bikini” is a satirical nod to atomic testing at Bikini Atoll
- The film’s gritty realism and dockside setting may have influenced On the Waterfront (1954), which shares similar themes and plot elements
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