The Brothers Rico

 Richard Conte stars in this 1957 film as a successful businessman who has managed to escape his past as an accountant with the mob until his former boss calls him back to find his two younger brothers, who are on the lam from both the police and the mob. Dianne Foster co-stars. Based on a story by famed Belgian crime novelist George Simenon. 92 minutes. CC.

This film comes at the end of the film noir era. The dark shadows and stark contrasts between light and dark did not project well on TV reruns, an increasingly valuable market for Hollywood. Only traces of noir technique can still be seen in the cinematography of Burnett Guffey. Nevertheless, director Phil Karlson created a true film noir because of the darkness of Simenon's story even in its film adaptation. George Simenon is best known for his French detective stories centered around Parisian Police Inspector Jules Maigret, but he wrote hundreds of crime novels most with a harshly realistic edge. 

Richard Conte, one of the first Italian American actors to achieve leading man status, gives an outstanding performance. He appears in practically every scene. Dianne Foster, whose looks had her being groomed as the next Rita Hayworth, does a fine job as Conte's wife. The supporting cast includes Argentina Brunetti, a fine actress, who became one of Hollywood's familiar Italian mothers. A number of really believable mob types round out the supporting cast.. 

Later, Richard Conte was considered for the leading role in The Godfather but it went to Marlon Brando. In a way, The Brothers Rico, with its focus on the mobsters rather than the police is the godfather of The Godfather, and all the other mob films that followed. ###

Richard Conte and Dianne Foster