A classic

I wasn’t really sure what to expect from this flick but since it seemed to have a solid reputation (it is included in the ‘1001 Movies You Must See Before You Die’ list among other things), I was quite eager to check it out. Well, to be honest, I don’t think this movie grew old very well. I mean, 90 years after it was released, so many vastly superior gangster flicks have been released such as ‘The Godfather’ 1 and 2, ‘Goodfellas’, ‘Scarface’ and many others. And yet, even if this movie was maybe not the first in this genre, it was certainly a major trendsetter, the precursor of all the gritty gangster movies that came in the 30’s but also afterwards up until nowadays. On top of that, even if the movie itself didn’t really impress me, I have to admit that Edward G. Robinson was pure gold though. Indeed, the guy was just so convincing and even if you maybe didn’t like his character, he was still seriously charismatic. Sure, he was definitely not a nice guy but he was tough and rather smart and, eventually, it all made sense how Little Caesar managed to climb up the ladder in the mob world. As a result, this realistic approach made the whole thing quite compelling to behold. However, the rest of the movie didn’t have much to offer, I’m afraid. Indeed, none of the other characters was remarkable whatsoever. It’s also interesting that there was only one female character involved, a character barely developed, and you might wonder why the main character didn’t have a girlfriend or a lover which is usually a main attribute for any average gangster. Anyway, to conclude, even if it didn’t complete blow me away, it was still a really solid vintage gangster flick and it is definitely worth a look, especially if you like the genre. 

7/10