Gangster - Old Movies

March 27th 2011 06:32

There's been some degree of critical re-evaluation of Roger Corman's work in recent times, attesting to the maxim that if someone sticks around long enough they'll be accorded the status of a legend. I can't say I'm on board with this view, there isn't really much of merit in Bloody Mama - it's very much a schlockly Shelley Winters veheicle that seeks to exploit the blood and guts glory of Bonnie and Clyde by emulating it in an incredibly vapid and half-arsed way.

Winters plays a highly fictionalised version of Depression-era gangster Ma Barker, with the film following the escalating hi-jinks of her lawless sons as she tenuously tries to exert control over them. The film's prologue shows Barker's sexual abuse as a child at the hands of her father and brothers. She vows to raise a family of loyal boys that will become her instrument of revenge on society. What follows is an episodic hillbilly-gangster B film that juxtaposes jolly hoedown music with violence and pseudo-sermonising, aided by a healthy helping of stock footage and irrelevant voiceover to help establish the era. There's no real cohesiveness to the film, it's more or less just a series of scenes pretending to be a real movie, and it gets boring really fast.

There are some good actors but the hack script and paint-by-numbers direction makes it what it is: a cheaply produced midnight movie. Shelley Winters might've been good if she'd had a decent director to reign her in but instead she goes way over the top. Sometimes this sort of thing can be a welcome relief in poor films but Winters' wailing and yabbering becomes intensely grating and unbearable. Also look out for a young Robert De Niro as her skinny hillbilly-junkie son. He's at his best when he's completely smacked out and I couldn't help but laugh when he impersonates and mocks Scatman Crothers. It's a small glimpse of light in an otherwise dim film though.

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The Town

January 7th 2011 07:41

Imagine you're Ben Affleck. If that disturbs you too much, imagine you're Matt Damon instead. Now, if you're imagining you're Ben Affleck you'll be smarting a little from a less than stellar career trajectory. If you're doing the other thing, pretending to be Matt Damon, you'll be pretty stoked with how well your career choices have panned out for you. But going back to Ben Affleck, you'll be annoyed with how you cut your teeth on a series of cult indie films (Dazed and Confused, Chasing Amy, Glory Daze) and then won an Oscar for co-writing the script for Good Will Hunting, only for your career to then stall on a series of mediocre films (Reindeer Games, Bounce, Daredevil) before washing up on the shores of career suicide with Gigli and Jersey Girl. What do you do in that situation? Well, Affleck had staked out an escape route quite early on in his career with Good Will Hunting... his ability to invest in the production side of filmmaking meant that he still had some cred up his sleeve after becoming such a gormless joke of a leading man, and so he turned to directing.

So... you're Ben Affleck. People can't say your name without smirking, and they certainly can't look at you and take you seriously anymore. So you disappear behind the camera. You co-write and direct a noir-ish crime movie called Gone Baby Gone. You get your younger brother (fresh off an Oscar nomination of his own) to star as the lead and you win a whole heap of plaudits from the critics, who are somewhat surprised at this career 180. Your next step? Repeat the success of Gone Baby Gone but with yourself as the lead actor. Rehabilitation complete.

The Town is actually a really good film. Affleck is perhaps a little vain to cast himself as the 'good' bad guy at the centre of the film, but I managed to watch him do his thing with minimal smirking. The premise of The Town is that the Charlestown area of Boston is apparently the bank robbery capital of the world. Affleck plays Doug MacRay, the brains behind a four-man outfit who specialise in armed holdups. MacRay's crew successfully robs a bank and uses a hostage (Rebecca Hall) to aid their escape. It looks like they've evaded the attention of the FBI (represented by Mad Men's Jon Hamm) but MacRay and his right-hand man Coughlin (Jeremy Renner) realise that their hostage is actually a woman who lives in their neighbourhood. Coughlin wants to kill her, but MacRay crosses paths with her at the local laundromat and begins to keep tabs on her - a relationship that veers into dangerously romantic territory.

So, at the forefront of The Town is this story about career criminals and the unfolding shitstorm that surrounds this possible witness and the ambitious FBI guy who wants to take them down. MacRay finds his motivation for the criminal lifestyle compromised by his relationship with the witness and so he starts planning to distant himself from his crew before it's too late. Obviously this is a pretty tricky process... for a start, MacRay is following in the footsteps of his incarcerated father (Chris Cooper). His best friend Coughlin is aggressively unwilling to continue the robberies without MacRay, and the local gangster who bankrolls them (Pete Postlethwaite) is a hard man to walk away from. Behind all this is this other story... a story about Charlestown and a story about lower socio-economic working class districts all over the western world. It's about the pride, poverty and fractured families that beget these dangerous criminal lifestyles. MacRay is a product of an alcoholic deadbeat dad and an absent mother who never wanted kids, it's a story that would be sad if it wasn't echoed in every other family in Charlestown. It's a world of broken dreams and easy money, and our sympathy for MacRay isn't neccessarily rooted in his more gentlemanly qualities but in the fact that he is going to try and break free from this cycle no matter the cost. That's the transformative power of love. It might sounds a bit girly when you describe it like that but Affleck makes it accessible by shrouding it in a story full of smartarse repartee and brutal gunfights.

The Town is primarily structured around three robberies - one at the beginning, one in the middle and one at the end. Between these visually rewarding set pieces is a story that builds itself in layers thanks to some brilliant little touches of local realism... there's one great scene where MacRay's crew has just committed a bank robbery. They come across an old cop in their nun costumes and AK47s. The old cop sees them, he's probably aware that the cops and FBI are scrambling all over town to find them, and he stares at them as they stare back at him. Will he make a move? Will they kill him? He just looks the other way, and they move on... he's an old cop and he doesn't want to die. More importantly he's also a part of the community and knows that someone else will get him down the line if he does anything to stop MacRay's crew. That fear and that situation is realistic... it might take place in an unrealistic situation (bank robbers dressed as nuns and armed with military-level weaponry) but it works because it's indicative of the world Affleck is evoking and tapping into. The viewer may become confused about where their sympathy lies in a film like this... the FBI character played by Jon Hamm is shown gloating and threatening MacRay whilst MacRay just sits there all calm and collected. We follow MacRay's point of view for the bulk of the film so it's fairly obvious that we're meant to sympathise with Affleck's character. I mean, MacRay even labels these FBI guys as traitors to their community. It's slightly disturbing that the viewer's loyalty should be manipulated so blatantly onto the side of these brutal thieves, but a lot of the film's subtext (about community pride and the code of the silence that goes with it) points to this sad state of affairs as a byproduct of our society. The film may not be entirely conscious that it's doing this, but I think it's a valid examination of today's issues all the same.

You should watch this film, it's like Heat but much better. Everything about it works and I'm hoping it's the start of a long career for Affleck as an auteur specialising in modern-day crime epics.

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Posted By: Luke - Category: Gangster

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Public Enemies

July 2nd 2010 22:20

Michael Mann's retro gangster epic has more than a few things going for it... a dream teaming of Johnny Depp and Christian Bale, an extensive cast of talented but underated actors (Marion Cotillard, Stephen Dorff, Carey Mulligan, Leelee Sobieski, David Wenham, Billy Crudup and Stephen Graham, just to name a few), a serious exploration of the exploits of John Dillinger, and an epic face-off that runs the gamut of Mann's palette of intellectually-orientated action. Somehow, despite all this, Public Enemies falls more than a little shy of being the brilliant film everyone probably hoped it to be.

We join Dillinger (Johnny Depp) on a daring prison excursion where he masterminds the escape of several incarcerated gang members. Following this, J. Edgar Hoover (Billy Crudup) hand-selects the talents of one Melvin Purvis (Christian Bale) to help bring Dillinger and other bank robbers to justice as part of the fledgling efforts of the F.B.I. (currently in it's infancy and facing bureaucratic and federal opposition). Early 1930s Depression-era America begins to evolve into a landscape of organised, violence-free crime and Dillinger increasingly finds himself on the backfoot as law enforcement becomes more sophisticated in reaction to his ballsy misadventures.

Public Enemies situates itself in a self-proclaimed 'golden age' of bank robbery, a brief era of cavalier crimes and colourfully-named criminals that would soon give way to the more business-like machinations of prohibition-fed hoodlums like Al Capone and Frank Nitti. As such, Public Enemies tells a tale of Dillinger steeped in modern folklore - his escapes, his last words, his last stand, etc. Michael Mann directs through the eye of a handheld digital camera, utilising a modern sense of digital verite to evoke realism alongside the lore of the era. As such, the film has an uphill battle in getting the average viewer on board - for most of the time it doesn't feel like a modern Hollywood action film, it's certainly less accessible than something by Martin Scorcese, and the opening scenes (whilst based on a riveting premise) don't make enough concessions to the audience or traditional film structure to be as engaging as they need to be. It also doesn't help that Depp's characterisation isn't the showy piece of quirkmanship most viewers probably expect of him. I'm not criticising Depp here, just offering an explanation for this film's lacklustre reception, and I think I'd have to say that this film could have been a little better if Mann had put a little more focus on the heart of the tale.

Depp's Dillinger is very much a celebrity of his era, though Mann and his fellow scriptwriters do little to suggest his status as a folk hero for the times. There are a smattering of lines alluding to how Dillinger likes to keep the public on side so he can hide amongst them, but beyond that the film has very little to say on the matter due to it's non-sensationalist manner. Depp gives a cocky, self-assured but ultimately likeable performance that's more attached to historical accuracy than any wanton exaggeration influenced by the usual icons of gangster cinema. Dillinger represents the idea of post-Depression nouveau ambition in a world of old money, and in many ways he symbolises the Depression and the attitudes it fostered (Dillinger remarks at one point that although the elite only care about where you're from, the only thing that really matters is where you're going). Acting-wise, it's a brave decision on Depp's part but also entirely in keeping with the atmosphere of the film. I think it could've been a great performance had it not been coupled with the deliberately unintrusive camera work... as such it falls a little short due to too much of Depp's performance taking place in the peripherals of the screen.

Christian Bale on the over hand is a complete let down. His accent sounds weird, his character (though probably entirely authentic) is boring, and his performance is decidely no-nonsense. There's a short piece of text at the film's end that talks about the fate of Bale's character that managed to gobsmack me... it was a hundred times more interesting than anything we got on screen from either Bale or Mann! This film should've and could've been a 1930s counterpart to Heat (Mann's other bank robbery-based epic), with an intense and finely-observed story of two men on opposite sides of the law. The two films share more than a few similarities, but alas - this aspect isn't one of them. Also, I mentioned at the beginning of this review that Public Enemies features an extensive cast of interesting and great actors - predictably, most of them are wasted. I'll be damned if I could spot David Wenham or Carey Mulligan amongst them. Billy Crudup is great as Hoover, but Stephen Graham barely gets a line as Baby-Face Nelson, and Marion Cotillard is probably the only person besides Depp to get the screen time she deserves. One look at the castlist on IMDB.com reveals a cast of roughly 70 credited actors - most of whose characters have names or dialogue. Whilst watching the film you'd be forgiven for thinking that the film only really has six characters on screen - an unfortunate byproduct of the digital verite style.

Mann generally doesn't really stab to the heart of the story's themes and seems to be more interested in just putting this partial biopic up on screen in a realistic fashion. Having said that, he still knows how to shoot one hell of a gunfight, and the anachronistic but suitable banjo music was brilliant. I also enjoyed the fascinating historical detail regarding Hoover's war on crime, showing firsthand the origins of the FBI - how it was built out of a reaction to state lines and corrupt counties harbouring criminals, and how it grew via early forensic methods in a pre-television, pre-surveillance age. Also, for all the film's flaws and inherent flatness, the ending was absolutely amazing. Public Enemies plays out scenes of the last film Dillinger goes to see (Manhattan Melodrama) along with shots of Dillenger himself, and sets it to a modern soundtrack to find a synergetic collusion between the two texts. Depp's knowingly stoic gaze as the themes of Manhattan Melodrama literally speak to him about Dillinger's life are probably worth alone the film's somewhat patchy 130 minute journey.

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The Combination

February 9th 2010 10:24

There was a lot of controversy surrounding this film when it first came out, with some theatres in Sydney's western suburbs even erupting into violence and causing the film to be pulled from some venues. It seems strange that movies like The Combination can encourage violence amongst the very people they seek to educate, it suggests that the probelms in these subcultures are far too ingrained to be fixed by cautionary art, but I think films like this are a good start nonetheless. Part of the issue is the attitude of the average uninvolved Anglo-Australian... most people hear about crimes involving Lebanese youths and the part that seems most relevant to them is the ethnicity of the perpetrator rather than the crime itself. This film goes some way towards addressing this kind of blinkered prejudice and how it feeds the very problems that cause it... it's a vicious cycle and writer/actor George Basha is to be commended for putting it out there in all it's glory, and for suggesting how we might break this cycle

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The Godfather (of cruddy movies)

May 23rd 2008 05:19

The godfather is said to be the all time best gangster film of all time but I gotta tell ya that its not. Its all lies told by the Man in charge because they don’t want to admit that there are better films out there. Like scarface. Or street kings. Here is a list of things wrong with the godfather

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Posted By: stu-kicks - Category: Gangster

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Scarface - wat a classic!!!!11

April 28th 2008 09:46

say hello to my leetel fren!

well since this is called oldmovies.com i thought i would actually reviw an old movie so all you know nothings could get off my back about it ok? today i am talking about the classic 60s movie Scarface. here is my trademark summary of the plot just in case you are a genuine hater of movies and are unaware of what this movie is about: Al Pacino is Scarface, a mexican gangster of epic porpotions who comes to America and is faced by the racism of American and he decides to fight back. It's an uplifting story and it teaches valuable lessons about standing up for youself and being a man

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Posted By: stu-kicks - Category: Gangster

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Angels with Dirty Faces

March 8th 2007 09:46

Angels With Dirty Faces (1938)

A deadset certified gangster classic today... lately I've been catching up on all these films I havent seen, and I discovered that 'Angels with Dirty Faces' definitely deserves it's 'classic' status. Of all the pre-70s gangster films I've seen, this is the best one so far. Starring James Cagney (who had become a superstar by the time this film was made) and Pat O'Brien, this film also featured an early supporting turn by Humphrey Bogart and was directed by Michael Curtiz (who would go on to make 'Casablanca'
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Posted By: Luke - Category: Gangster

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Little Caesar

March 2nd 2007 05:54

Little Caesar (1931)

One of the earliest non-silent examples of the gangster-film, ‘Little Caesar’ is a simplistic from-the-bottom-to-the-top-an d-then-back-again take on the genre, albeit a little less censored than some of the later golden-era gangster films (‘Little Caesar’ was made before the restrictive Hayes-Code was introduced in 1933). It’s probably best remembered for introducing audiences to the diminutive frog-faced Edward G. Robinson, who would have a long line in memorable crooks and dodgy kingpins

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A Bronx Tale

October 10th 2006 07:29

A Bronx Tale (1993)

You'll probably find 'A Bronx Tale' tucked away in the weekly section of your local video store - a fairly nondescript cover with only one 'big name' actor attached to it. Don't let this fool you - this is a quality film

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True Romance

September 9th 2006 11:11

True Romance (1993)

A lot of people mistakenly label this as a 'Quentin Tarantino' film. True, it's penned by the man himself, but it aint directed by him... and after seeing this, that's what counts! It just isn’t in the same league as Tarantino’s films

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The Public Enemy

September 7th 2006 07:27

The Public Enemy (1931)

From the posed profile shots of each character at the beginning, through to the jaunty soundtrack and Cagney's boyish charm, this is a vibrant and electric look at a boozing, brawling, roiling and roaring golden age of gangsters in the age of prohibition. Forget the cautionary text at the beginning and end of the film, the filmmaker's are no more interested in educating the viewer as the censors at the time were in appreciating film as a piece of art

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Scarface: The Shame of a Nation

August 29th 2006 11:38

Scarface (1932)

Despite the 50 years between them, 'Scarface: The Shame of a Nation' and Brian De Palma's gaudy 80s re-imagining actually have a lot in common. Their characters might have different names, they might inhabit different cities and trade in different commodities, and they might be of differing ethnic backgrounds, but the arc they both follow are strikingly similar - even down to the oedipal subplot. And both films were incredibly controverisial in their heyday - coming under fire by the censors for their violence and alleged glorification of criminal excess

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Posted By: Luke - Category: Gangster

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Miller's Crossing

August 22nd 2006 04:15

Miller's Crossing (1990)

As a fan of gangster flicks (the mob kind, not the rapper sort) and the Coen brothers (‘Fargo’, ‘The Big Lebowski’, etc) I was glad to happen upon this weekly video a few days ago. The cover made it look kind of cheesy, but I was glad to find the film was nothing of the sort

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Get Carter

July 24th 2006 07:18

Get Carter (1971)

'Get Carter' is what many would call a classic. This is vintage Michael Caine, and this is vintage gangster filmfare. This film broke the mould on it's release, and ran miles in a direction a lot of other films wouldn't have dared to in their time

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