The Asphalt Jungle (
1950) is an
Academy Award nominated
film noir directed by
John Huston. The
caper film is based on the novel of the same name by
W.R. Burnett and stars an ensemble cast including
Sterling Hayden,
Jean Hagen,
Sam Jaffe,
Louis Calhern,
James Whitmore, and, in a minor but key role,
Marilyn Monroe, an unknown at the time who was pictured but not mentioned on the posters.
[.]
The film tells the story of a group of men planning and executing a jewel robbery. It was nominated for four Academy Awards.
In 2008,
The Asphalt Jungle was selected for preservation in the United States
National Film Registry by the
Library of Congress as being "culturally, historically, or aesthetically significant".