The Asphalt Jungle

THE ASPHALT JUNGLE is probably one of the earliest crime caper stories written in which the details of the planning, execution and aftermath of a crime are explained. It may not be the first book of its kind but it's certainly the earliest that I can remember reading and is a terrific study of the interactions of a diverse group of individuals who are all dependent on one another for the success of their operation. We are softened up right at the opening of the book with a statement from the new Chief of Police acknowledging that the crime rate in their (unnamed) city was at disturbing levels. He follows this up by vowing that he was going to make a difference and clean up the city while he was running the police force. We switch over to the criminals where a plan is being organised by a mastermind criminal known as Herr Doktor, a very unlikely looking little man who has just been released from prison. Doc is after three reliable men to help him carry out his plan and asks a small-time bookie named Cobby for help assembling them. Cobby's link to Doc is through Doc's cellmate from prison. The plan that Doc has cooking is of a jewellery heist that could be worth half a million dollars. They recruit Gus, a small hunchbacked man with a bad temper as their driver, Louis "Schemer" Bellini as their lockman and the largely unknown quantity of a man named Dix as their muscle. They then turn to a crooked lawyer named Emmerich to stake the operation. Emmerich is well known in criminal circles for his wealth and tight lips, but little do the conspiring thieves know that his fortune has dwindled to the point where he is now just about broke. The prospect of such a huge take is almost too much for Emmerich to conceal his enthusiasm agreeing to finance the operation while secretly planning a double cross would solve his financial woes. Even though the planning is impeccable, problems occur during the heist and the way in which the makeshift team works together is critical to their success. It's this aspect of the story that becomes the main focus once the robbery is over and the pressure of evading an ever tightening police dragnet is applied. W.R. Burnett has written a wonderful story of desperation, deception and mistrust set in a gritty world of tough criminals and equally tough cops. He has given his caper the suitably dark setting of a brooding city rife with corruption as he dangles the promise of vast wealth just out of reach of his flawed characters.

In Little Caesar ,W R Burnett wrote a classic and pivotal novel of the rise of gangsterism .Twenty years later ,in 1949 ,he wrote The Asphalt Jungle and in so doing introduced most of the elements of the caper novel -a complicated robbery for big stakes is planned and we the reader watch as events unfold from planning to execution.The switch from the emphasis on individualism and the charismatic figure of the gangster to this novel where the emphasis is on teamwork ,planning and the meticulous application of specialist skills is in many ways refelective of societal change and the shift away from crime as an individual response ,to crime as a corporate entity .The plotting ,as befits the subject,is mechanical and the caper is laid out before the reader ;it is precisely timed and requires absolute adherence to detail and schedule in order to work.The contrast between this cold impersonal planning and the unpredictability of human emotions and behaviour is pivotal to the story and exposes the folly of any plans which fail to take the human element into accountBurnett is good at showing the clash between the criminals and the cops and succeeds in dividing reader loyalties -the two sides are opposed but share common characteristics.Good pulp writing and a slick piece of gem bright plotting

Though numerous susbsequent imitations have taken some of the edge off this classic novel, it is still a powerful look into the seedy underworld of post-WWII America (Burnett knows the milieu-- he was one of the first on the scene of the St. Valentine's Day Massacre, and once worked as a night clerk at a hotel frequented by lowlifes and criminals). While it is a caper novel (the first one, in fact), it has less to do with the mechanics of carrying out a major crime (in this case, a million-dollar jewelry store heist) than it does with the interplay of the gangsters. H. R. F. Keating ranks it as one of the 100 best crime and mystery books, yet it seems as if Burnett's work has been largely (and unjustly) forgotten today.

The Asphalt Jungle is perhaps best known for its 1950s film adaptation (..supposedly a real good movie). However little do most folks realize the screenplay was co-authored by the man (Burnett) who wrote the original novel. The novel is generally available in paperback form in the UK but only as an "e-book" in the USA. This is a shame because I was surprised at how wonderful a story The Asphalt Jungle really is.Okay, so what *is* the story? It is about a bunch of low-life criminals planning a jewelry store heist. The characters are an eclectic bunch (rednecks, blue collar immigrants, a German "doctor", a wealthy lawyer). Each person is greedy and distrustful of each other. Despite carefully planning the heist doesn't come off terribly well. Tragically, it is the individual weaknesses of the characters and the mutual distrust which ultimately leads to catastrophic consequences.While the story might sound somewhat formulaic (..Reservoir Dogs seems almost like a modern film adaptation of it) I found the book to be a most enjoyable read. The prose has a tight feel, and the characterizations are simply wonderful. I plan to seek out other works by Burnett such as Little Caesar.Bottom line: a classic. Strongly recommended.