Film

The Lineup

Name: The Lineup
Genre: Crime, Thriller
Released: 1958
Cast: Eli Wallach, Robert Keith, Richard Jaeckel, Mary LaRoche, William Leslie

Other titles called The Lineup: the 1954 series (CBS).

Drug-trade crime

A taut 1958 crime thriller about a heroin smuggling ring operating through San Francisco. Eli Wallach is magnetic as a volatile psychopath who retrieves packages from innocent travelers, his erratic nature making him terrifyingly unpredictable. Lean, sharp, and propulsive—the kind of procedural that influenced television for decades.

TMDb rating

3.6

If you liked this

The Killing1956

Kubrick's breakout heist film has the same documentary precision about criminal logistics and the same interest in how ordinary people become entangled in violent schemes. Tightly constructed, morally complex.

But Shot in black-and-white on a tight budget, it can feel a little stagy if you're used to modern crime cinema. Some pacing drags in the middle.

In a Lonely Place1950

Ray's masterpiece about a violent man suspected of murder, with Bogart giving one of his darkest performances. It has the same unflinching look at dangerous masculinity and the same San Francisco noir atmosphere.

But It's less plot-driven than character-driven; if you want constant forward momentum, this will feel slow. The ending may frustrate viewers expecting conventional justice.

The Asphalt Jungle1950

Often called the template for all heist films. Its careful attention to procedure, to the mundane details of crime, and to the psychological profiles of criminals directly influenced The Lineup's DNA.

But It's episodic and somewhat baggy by modern standards. The moralism of its era feels dated, and the second half loses momentum.

Not sure tonight? Get a pick in a minute, starting from The Lineup

The wildcard

Something you would not have found on your own.

Rififi1955

Both films treat crime as a system, a choreography, a job—not as a source of excitement or heroics. Both focus on the technical precision and the human cost in equal measure.

A French heist film that shares The Lineup's documentary obsession with procedure and logistics, but filters it through a more humanistic lens. The famous silent robbery sequence is cinema itself—30 minutes of pure visual storytelling with no dialogue.

But It's in French with subtitles, and it's slower than The Lineup, more meditative. The post-heist moral reckoning may feel pessimistic if you go in expecting thrills.

Murder, Inc.1960

Another procedural about organized crime infrastructure, shot in crisp black-and-white with documentary-like detail. It shares The Lineup's interest in the machinery behind the violence, not just the spectacle.

But Based on a true story but doesn't have the psychological depth of the best crime films. It's competent but conventional, and the acting can be uneven.

The Big Heat1953

Fritz Lang's revenge thriller channels real fury through its protagonist. Like The Lineup, it's interested in how ordinary circumstances tip into violence, and how one wrong move cascades into catastrophe.

But The sexual violence and sadism that fuel the plot feel very much of their era and may feel gratuitous. Some viewers find the misogyny of the script troubling.

Sweet Smell of Success1957

A masterpiece of moral corruption set in a seedy New York underworld, with dialogue like a knife and performances that crackle. Same interest in the charisma of dangerous men and the systems that enable them.

But It's deliberately obscure in its references and syntax; the 1950s slang is thick. If you want clarity and straightforwardness, this will feel opaque.

The Killing of a Chinese Bookie1976

Cassavetes' intense character study of a small-time hood and his debt to the mob. It has The Lineup's interest in the psychology of men caught between worlds, with far more emotional depth.

But Cassavetes' naturalistic style can feel aimless to those raised on tight plotting. It's also very bleak, with no heroes and very little hope.

The Maltese Falcon1941

The template for post-war crime cinema. Bogart and Lorre in a game of wits and betrayal, with the kind of machine-like plot efficiency that The Lineup would inherit.

But It's a period piece now, and the pacing is leisurely by modern standards. The misogyny toward Mary Astor is hard to overlook.

Out of the Past1947

The quintessential noir about a man trapped by circumstance and a woman who destroys him. Mitchum's fatalism and the film's atmosphere are hypnotic, and it influenced crime cinema for generations.

But Plot takes a back seat to mood and atmosphere, which some find indulgent. If you need clarity and forward momentum, you'll find it slow.

Pickup on South Street1953

Both feature brilliant performances from character actors inhabiting the criminal underworld. Both have an almost documentary interest in how regular people use violence to survive, paired with an old-fashioned moral clarity about good and evil.

Samuel Fuller's explosive spy thriller about a pickpocket who steals espionage microfilm. It has The Lineup's interest in working-class criminals and its willingness to make them morally complex. Kinetic and utterly alive.

But Fuller's style is deliberately crude and propagandistic; it can feel like a pulp comic brought to life. The anti-Communist politics are blunt and dated. Some scenes veer into pulp melodrama.

Branded1950

Both films are interested in how people become tools—used by larger systems they can barely understand. Both have an acidic view of American institutions, whether organized crime or business, as fundamentally corrupt structures that chew up individuals.

An obscure noir about a man caught between advertising execs and criminals, forced to impersonate a millionaire's heir. It shares The Lineup's interest in how identity is theater, how circumstances turn ordinary men into criminals, and how the system uses people as pawns.

But It's genuinely hard to find and feels slight compared to the great noirs. The plot doesn't hold together perfectly, and the tone wavers between satire and thriller. It'll feel like a minor film to most viewers.