A small-time hood shoots his way to the top, but how long can he stay there?
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CinemaSerf
7
By CinemaSerf
Edward G. Robinson is great in this early gangster talkie. He is "Rico", a clever and ambitious petty thief who decides it's time to move to the big city. Initially, he goes to work for "Sam Vettori" (Stanley Fields) but not long after, the local Crime Commissioner "McClure" is assassinated. Luckily, his buddy "Joe Massara" (Douglas Fairbanks Jr") is working at that self same club, and manages to warn "Rico" ahead of the subsequent police crackdown. It is now that he starts to smell an opportunity. First his boss, then the bigger boss "Pete Montana" (Ralph Ince) are toppled. Even his pal "Joe" and his gal "Olga" (Glenda Farrell) are not immune from his increasingly megalomanic tendencies. The thing I didn't especially like about this film is the ending - it is just a little too tame, but otherwise this is a solid effort from Mervyn LeRoy that really did bring out the best in Robinson with a quickly paced and enjoyable film.
