Columbia would have dreamt of another On the Waterfront with this one - a fact based tale of organised crime in the garment industry. They got in Waterfront's Lee J. Cobb and while they couldn't get Rod Steiger they got in Richard Boone who is pretty awesome, and there's no Eva Marie Saint but Gia Scala isn't bad, and while there's no Karl Malden there's Robert Loggia who is great. Instead of Marlon Brando though they got Kerwin Matthews, who, for all the residual affection I have for him off the back of his performance in kids adventure movies, isn't good.
Mind you he isn't helped by a script which makes him passive a lot of the time - he rocks up and tells dad Cobb that he wants to work in the family garment firm, but then gets all golly gosh offended when he finds dad has links with the Mob to shut up the union. But then he doesn't do much just whinge to dad and hang around the wife of union leader Robert Loggia, as if waiting for Loggia to die. I think they needed to have Matthews more active - go undercover to find out info on his dad or something (there are account books but Cobb just tells him about them and Valerie French goes "oh I have them").
I don't know what Valerie French is doing in this film - she plays Cobb's girlfriend, and she does have a copy of the secret accounts but doesn't seem to serve much purpose dramatically. Maybe they just wanted another girl in the story... She doesnt really offer any sort of different position. Maybe they should've made her a villain - someone who tries to seduce Matthews, or something. Or a daughter of Richard Boone, who is torn over what her father is doing.
Cobb is fine in his role though you get the impression his character is softened. Loggia is very good in the most fleshed out part - a fanatical union leader fighting for good but neglecting his wife and new baby. Gia Scala was a surprise - I really liked her. Loved her intro dancing. Boone is an excellent villain. Wes Addy is a bit too smooth and Sir Percival Evil as a baddy.
Some of the handling does seem flabby others tougher - I'm not sure how much as original director Robert Aldrich and replacement Vincent Sherman. The location shooting helps.
There's some good moments - the opening pre credit sequence which leaps right into it (this would be a Robert Aldrich trademark), some performances, the execution of Loggia (especially when he realises his mates have betrayed him). But its pretty undercooked stuff. Just thinking about it really Matthews should have died and Cobb lived - that would've been more moving.
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