House of Strangers

A film about an Italian family in New York. Gino started from a small barber's shop and built his own bank. All four of his sons work for him and none is his partner. The father says so plainly: the money is his, the decisions are his, and so is the respect. The bank's operation is not legal. Inspectors come and Gino is prosecuted. One of the sons, Max, tries to interfere with the jury to save him and goes to prison. Meanwhile the other three push the father aside and take over the bank. The film begins with Max leaving prison and tells this in retrospect. The real matter is revenge: Max wants a reckoning with his brothers. The strongest thing is the figure of the father. Gino does not distinguish between love and dominion; every kindness he does his sons is also a debt. Edward G. Robinson plays Gino, Richard Conte plays Max and Susan Hayward the woman Max is involved with. Joseph L. Mankiewicz directed. A strong example for anyone who likes noir built on family and classical Hollywood drama. For a viewer expecting a fast crime film, this is essentially a family reckoning.