The Asphalt Jungle (1950)

When criminal mastermind Erwin “Doc” Riedenschneider is released from prison after seven years, he visits a bookie named Cobby in an unnamed Midwestern river city. Cobby arranges a meeting between Doc and Alonzo Emmerich, a lawyer. Doc tells Emmerich of his plan to steal jewelry worth half a million dollars or more. Doc needs $50,000 to hire three men—a safecracker, a driver, and a hooligan—to pull off the caper. Emmerich agrees to provide the money and dispose of the loot.

Doc hires Louie Ciavelli, a professional safecracker. Ciavelli only trusts Gus Minissi, a hunchbacked diner owner, as the getaway driver. The last member of the gang is petty criminal Dix Handley, a friend of Gus. Dix tells Doll Conovan—who is in love with him—of his dream to buy back the horse farm that his family lost. During the heist, Ciavelli hammers through a brick wall to access the jewelry store, deactivates a door alarm to let in Doc and Dix, and opens the main safe using home-brewed nitroglycerine. Things begin to go drastically wrong. The concussion of the explosion disrupts the power grid, causing several alarms in the area to sound. Dix slugs an arriving security guard, who drops his revolver, which discharges and wounds Ciavelli in the belly. The men get away unseen, but a police manhunt begins.