''The Boss'' is a 1956 American

crime In ordinary language, a crime is an unlawful act punishable by a state or other authority. The term ''crime'' does not, in modern criminal law, have any simple and universally accepted definition,Farmer, Lindsay: "Crime, definitions of", in C ...

film noir Film noir (; ) is a cinematic term used primarily to describe stylish Hollywood crime dramas, particularly those that emphasize cynical attitudes and motivations. The 1940s and 1950s are generally regarded as the "classic period" of American '' ...

directed by

Byron Haskin Byron Conrad Haskin (April 22, 1899 – April 16, 1984) was an American film and television director, special effects creator and cinematographer. He is best known for directing '' The War of the Worlds'' (1953), one of many films where he ...

and starring John Payne.

Plot

Matt Brady comes home from

World War I World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was List of wars and anthropogenic disasters by death toll, one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, ...

to a city where his older brother Tim is a political kingpin. Matt meets an old friend, Bob Herrick, but an argument leads to a fistfight. He ends up late for a date with Elsie Reynolds, who is furious. Matt angrily replies that he wants nothing more to do with her. Matt's self-destructive behavior continues at a restaurant, where he intervenes on behalf of a forlorn customer, Lorry Reed, punching a waiter. He not only takes sympathy on her, he impulsively insists they get married. Regretting his actions the next day, Matt's temper again flares when Tim Brady decides to get the marriage annulled. Matt tells him to mind his own business. Minutes later, Tim dies of a heart attack. Years go by. Matt, still in a loveless marriage with Lorry, has followed his brother into politics. His unethical methods include making money on a tip from gangster Johnny Mazia and claiming half the profits of a cement business in exchange for guaranteeing it city projects. Bob has married Elsie, meanwhile, and become Matt's lawyer and insurance commissioner. Matt continues to mistreat Lorry, even giving her a very expensive necklace only to make Elsie envious. A newspaper editor and prosecutor begin investigating Matt, whose net worth also vanishes with the stock market's crash. He goes into business with gangster Johnny, inadvertently becoming an accomplice in a killing spree. An effort to make things right leads to a fight resulting in Johnny's death, but Matt is indicted and shocked when Bob testifies against him. Lorry leaves, telling Matt how he deluded himself that he had even one friend. Matt ends up by himself, behind bars.

Cast

External links

* * * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Boss, The 1956 films 1956 crime films American black-and-white films American crime films 1950s English-language films Film noir Films directed by Byron Haskin Films scored by Albert Glasser Films set in the 1920s United Artists films 1950s American films