“In their zenith, the Hollywood studios gauged prestige not by percentage points but by the names on the payroll. It was the era of ‘stars' and of that which bound them to glamorous indentured servitude - the interminable contract. If ever a box-office draw hesitated at the dotted line, the moguls could count on their publicity phalanx to dig up a most convincing skeleton.
Robert Aldrich's The Big Knife, adapted from Clifford Odets' play and made when the Darryl Zanucks and Harry Cohns still reigned, dramatizes this conflict. Faced with a deteriorating marriage and disillusioned with the rigors of stardom, Cass (Jack Palance) decides to sever ties with the Hollywood system. However, Cass has established himself as a lucrative commodity, and his boss, a megalomaniacal producer (Rod Steiger), proves ruthless in his determination to keep the actor on the set. It seems there was a death in Cass's past for which he was responsible but for which a studio underling took the rap. While the studio achieves its ends through blackmail, the success is short-lived and precipitates tragedy. The Big Knife orchestrates an atmosphere of nerves unhinged and hysteria. It is the story of an individual with simple yearnings battling the pressures of a tentacular institution.” --L.A. Thielen