Proud stubborn Gino Monetti (Edward G. Robinson) runs his Little Italy bank his way, in fact he does everything his way including cajoling and humiliating his four adult sons. Working his way from a barber to a bank president he never took time to familiarize himself with rules and codes which soon runs him afoul of the law. Three of the sons see it as an opportunity for revenge while loyal son Max (Richard Conti) calls for a united front. They set Max up on a bribery charge and he goes to jail, the old man is ruined and the brothers take over. Released and having sworn a vendetta against his brothers they debate how to deal with him.In between his Oscar efforts Letter to Three Wives and All About Eve, Joseph Mankiewicz made this little gem about patriarchy and family turmoil where no one ends up unblemished. Pops Monetti is a tyrant to his kids without an ounce of sensitivity and while his three sons decide to let him take the fall it comes after a lifetime of abuse. The good son Max though loyal to his dad is willing to bribe as well as have a touch of the dad's arrogance by expecting girlfriend played by Susan Hayward to be his piece on the side given he is engaged.Robinson is outstanding as the thick headed self-absorbed patriarch who brooks no dissent that leads to his downfall. It is all the world according to him and Robinson brings it across without sympathy as he browbeats all around him, occasionally switching to Italian with flair, his coda "Never forget, never forgive" Conti as Max gives his usual intense clipped performance that matches up perfectly when shredding the brothers over their duty as children or being brought around by Hayward to a new way of thinking. Hayward is also impressive as the self assured, independent, passionate and total opposite of the stifled old world Italian women subject to berating while pledging silent allegiance. It is her goading of Max and his anachronistic principles that help motivate him to action. Luther Adler as vindictive brother Joe balances Conti's strong performance with one of his own in which he is both loathsome and at times sympathetic due to Monetti Sr. browbeating.With its updated Shakespearean overtones (King Lear) baroque setting (The Monetti home) and strong stark performances House of Strangers holds its own most of the way with the two Oscar winners that bookend it.

While this has nothing to do with the Arthur Miller play "All My Sons" that Edward G. Robinson starred in the film version of, he does play a father of four grown men whose resentment towards their father covers a variety of different reasons. Robinson is an Italian immigrant on New York's lower East Side who makes good as the founder of a bank. He runs his loan division with high interest rates and no collateral, and this makes him subject to an investigation by the Feds. Son Richard Conte, his absolute favorite, is resented by his three older brothers who feel worthless in their father's eyes. Robinsons' old school ideals don't mesh with American values, and some of his ruthless ways fall on each of them, causing impending violence between Conte and the others.This is a modern day Greek tragedy, and features interesting psychological study of each of the main characters. Susan Hayward is the top billed female as a sexy client of Conte's who ends up falling in love with her in spite of the fact that he is engaged to the pretty Diana Douglas. When the chips fall on Robinson because of his illegal banking activities, it is Conte who takes the plunge with them, and the brothers use this as an opportunity to get revenge on dad. Luther Adler, Paul Valentine and Efrem Zimbalist Jr. are the other brothers, and Esther Minciotti (the mother in "Marty") is Robinson's quiet, long-suffering wife who would rather have a simple life back in the old country rather than the rich life Robinson has given her. Right before her Oscar nominated role in "Caged", the large Hope Emerson gives a showy performance as Douglas's domineering Italian mama.The strongest performances are of course by Robinson (using a convincing Sicilian accent) and Conte. Esther Minciotti is amazing in her one strong scene where she unleashes her fury on her sons. The screenplay is powerful (later successfully re-adapted as the Western, "Broken Lance"), and Joseph L. Mankiewicz's direction is masterful. Beautifully filmed with a spooky look at the abandoned house all of the sons were raised in, "House of Strangers" is an absolute must see as a view of how power corrupts and how dynasties fall when they don't stick together.

This is an outstanding film with Edward G. Robinson giving a superb performance as an old-lined Italian banker, playing the game for his economic gain at the hardship of others. It takes a depression and subsequent government intervention in banking to bring Gino Minotti (Robinson)Gino had 4 sons played with relish in particular by Richard Conte, as the attorney who attempted to bribe a juror, and Luther Adler, the son who was scorned by his father throughout life and brought unbelievable revenge.Susan Hayward shows that absolute gritty facade as the woman who loved Conte and brought him back to life after prison. Hayward shows that famous swagger walking up to a bar. I thought that in some of the scenes Hayward and Conte were practicing for "I'll Cry Tomorrow," 6 years later.Anyone notice that the ending music was the same theme played 3 years before in "The Razor's Edge?"The picture succeeds because it depicts the differences in immigrant life before and after reaching America. Greed, ambition and hate were never better depicted.

HOUSE OF STRANGERS is another classic from the Noir vaults of 20th Century Fox and is one of their very best. Under the guiding hand of the brilliant director Joseph L. Mankiewicz the film emerged in 1949 and remains to this day a remarkable piece of cinema! All credit must go to the excellent screenplay by Philip Yordan, the masterful low key black & white cinematography of Milton Krasner and the atmospheric score by the Russian composer Daniele Amfitheatrof.The stellar cast is headed by the great Edward G. Robinson. Fresh from his wonderful Johnny Rocco in Houston's "Key Largo" Robinson plays Gino Monetti, the Italian immigrant who runs the bank he founded in New York's lower east side. He runs it with an iron fist as he does his family of four sons who work for him. Three of whom are resentful of him because of the poor wages he pays them and the domineering way he treats them. Robinson's Gino Monetti is a deftly crafted and skillful piece of acting and with just the right Italian accent the actor once again demonstrates that he was one of the finest players in American cinema. Watching him here one can't help but think what a fine Corleone he would have made had he been around (he died in 1972 the year "The Godfather" was released)Richard Conte, in one of his best parts, plays the loyal and favoured son Max Monetti with his trademark serious look and in his best oppressed hero style. The other siblings are played by Luther Adler as the oldest and meanest, Efrem Zimbalist as the ladies man and Paul Valentine excellent as a slow witted amateur pugilist. Romantic interest is supplied by the ever lovely and vivacious Susan Hayward whose star at this time was about to start its rise. But it is Robinson's movie from the moment he comes into it - you simply cannot take your eyes of him!Five years later the studio re-fashioned Yordan's screenplay (itself loosely based on Shakespeare's "King Lear") and turned it into a splendid western called "Broken Lance" with Spencer Tracy. This fact is strangely omitted from any text on the DVD?A curious footnote: At the end of the picture we don't hear Amfithetrof's finale music! What we get instead is the end title from Alfred Newman's score for "The Razor's Edge" (1946). Why and how this should be is anybody's guess! Apart from this sloppy denouement it is still a fine movie in a fine package which has a commentary,a trailer and a good behind the scenes still gallery.Classic line from "House Of Strangers".......... When one of Robinson's errant sons declines to help his father during his trial - "I'm sorry pop I don't want to stick my neck out" to which Robinson wryly inquires "Why - what's so good about your neck".