Somewhat dated but still watchable early gangster classic which announced the considerable talent of Edward G Robinson to the big-time in Hollywood. And no wonder - he easily out-acts everyone else here starting from a small-time hoodlum, his stature in the film grows exponentially with his ambition so that at his zenith, he no longer seems so "little" and dominates the film frames. One great scene where Rico advances threateningly on Fairbanks only to retreat when he realises he can't shoot his childhood pal, amply demonstrates this point. Robinson's acting contrasts with some old-fashioned mannered acting of the remainder of the cast, particularly the detached drollery of his nemesis on the police force who eventually guns Rico down thus extracting one of Hollywood's most famous dying lines. There are some interesting undercurrents at work, principally a possible homo - erotic streak in Rico, evidenced by his misogynistic outburst at his early buddy and cohort, Fairbanks Jr. when the latter goes straight, for the love of a good woman, as the cliché has it and even more so in the strange scene where Rico preens at himself in the mirror, all tuxed up, in front of his new too-adoring sidekick. Supposedly based on the rise of Al Capone, the movie would have worked better if there had been more blurring of the edges around the lawmen, particularly as Capone had most of the Chicago police in his pocket (the film obviously made some years before the real - life Elliot Ness created his "untouchables"). Although it plays less well than many of the gangster greats that followed it, "Little Caesar" is important in introducing the gangster genre to 30's Hollywood and with it the talents of Cagney, Bogart and Raft to name but three. Nevertheless, Robinson stands comparison with any of them and there's ample evidence why right here.
Review of Little Caesar
