In a smog-filled Midwestern city, an aging criminal orchestrates a million-dollar jewel heist, enlisting a wealthy lawyer and three handpicked outlaws into his carefully devised but inevitably doomed scheme. John Huston's noir classic, features nuanced performances from Sterling Hayden and Marilyn Monroe, in her breakout role. Huston presents an uncommonly naturalistic portrayal of underworld characters, with his masterful depiction of crime's gritty reality, and the calm professionalism and toughness of its gangster heroes, The Asphalt Jungle spotlights a filmmaker at the peak of his prowess.