Caesar

Edward G. Robinson and George E. Stone in Little Caesar, 1931

Mother of mercy, is this the end of Rico? With those words, Edward G. Robinson dies in a hail of bullets, a man who has fallen to the gutter from the hierarchy of the crime boss. This is the essential gangster film which set the standard for those that followed. The film is now 73 years old and still never fails to amaze you because of the performance by it's star. Robinson, a former player in the Yiddish theater, certainly wasn't physically attractive and his voice and mannerisms begged to be parodied. It was those very things that made him the premier gangster of the 30's and as his career matured he tempered his performances.
The story revolves around Rico and his compatriots as they move up in the world, some are left behind either by choice (as with Fairbanks) or they simply are "rubbed out" as Little Caesar climbs the crime corporate ladder. His downfall is rapid and extreme and his final home is a flophouse.
The supporting cast is strong and includes two of my personal favorites, the ubiquitous George E. Stone and the sassy Glenda Farrell.
It must be said that some of the performances are a bit overdone but we must remember that this was 1931 and sound was new to the movies. Actors had not quite adapted to the more restrained acting needed for film. Nevertheless, Little Caesar is the touchstone of the crime film. It merits repeated viewings.