Little Caesar (1930)
Grade: 66
There had been several silent films about organized crime, but the mobster genre didn't really take off until "Little Caesar". Perhaps this was because the harsh slang and accents given to the characters couldn't come across in silents, or perhaps this was due to the quality of Edward G. Robinson's starmaking performance. Robinson would play numerous gangsters throughout his career ("Key Largo", "The Last Gangster", "Larceny, Inc.") with his ugly mug and unsympathetic manner making him well cast for such roles. James Cagney and Humphrey Bogart also contributed to the genre, which saw a revival in the 1970s with the "Godfather" films.
What is so striking about "Little Caesar" is just how evil the crooks really are. Robinson as Rico only cares about power, money and glory. Romancing 'dames' is 'soft stuff'. Rico will kill anybody who is in the way of his ambitions, especially those crime lords who stand above him in the hierarchy. A tough guy who believes a man's worst sin is to be 'yellow', Rico's only human traits are vanity and cruelty. He is only happy when his power is well recognized, especially when strutting down a street with his gang in tow.
The supporting cast isn't as interesting. There are the usual cops and robbers, tough guys all of them, as well as a few 'yellow' softies who need to be 'rubbed out'. Among the latter is dancer Joe (Douglas Fairbanks Jr.) who, under pressure from do-gooder girlfriend Olga (Glenda Farrell), threatens to turn Rico over to the cops.
The problems with the simplistic characters are partly overcome by the direction, which is full of energy and action. Francis Faragoh and Robert N. Lee received an Oscar nomination for the screenplay, which was adapted from W.R. Burnett's best selling novel.
"Little Caesar" also marks the debut of Hal B. Wallis. It was the first of 203 films that he would produce. Wallis and prolific director Mervyn LeRoy would combine for another successful action film in 1932, "I am a Fugitive from a Chain Gang".
briankoller@usa.net http://members.tripod.com/~Brian_Koller/movies.html http://www.epinions.com/user-briankoller
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