With "The Last Gangster", I was expecting more in the tradition of Cagney's "Public Enemy" or his much later "White Heat", or something along the lines of Edward G. Robinson's own early contribution to the gangster genre, 1931's "Little Caesar". The early going seems to be heading in that direction, until Joe Krozac (Robinson) is arrested for income tax evasion. With a young pregnant wife knowing nothing of his criminal past, Joe's appeals run out and he finds himself with a band of less than sympathetic convicts heading for an unknown destination - Alcatraz. There he comes to understand that his status as a Napoleon of the crime world carries no weight at all. Robinson brings a fairly wide range of emotions to his portrayal, particularly in the callous disregard for his wife's situation, giving all the attention to his newborn son during Talya's (Rose Stradner) prison visits.
When Krozac's final appeal is denied, the prospect of ten years of prison suddenly carry an intolerable weight, both for Joe and Talya. Talya moves away with her son Joey, changes their names, and winds up marrying a sympathetic newspaper reporter (James Stewart) who earlier wrote an unflattering story with the headline "Public Enemy Jr. Toys With Gun". When we hear young Joey/Paul say "Good night Daddy" to his new father, we know there's no turning back for Krozac's family aspirations.
It's when Joe's prison stretch is completed that the movie heads into unrealistic territory. His former gang welcomes him back only long enough to work him over for the money they feel they're owed for ten years of loyalty. When that doesn't work, they kidnap Joe's son, appealing to his fatherly instinct to give in to their demands. So far, so good. But once Joe leads the gang to his stash, they simply let him and the boy go! Had they never heard of REVENGE?
In what turns out to be an extended camping trip on their way back to Joey's home, Krozac learns about his son's new life. The confrontation with Talya and Paul North never plays out, and Krozac leaves with his tail between his legs, until confronted by a surviving member of a brother gang that Krozac had rubbed out years ago. Acey Kile proves to be entirely inept as a rubout artist; after pumping two bullets into Krozac, Joe wrestles the gun away from him and shoots him in return! Fatally wounded, the film zeroes in on the fallen Krozac's outstretched hand clutching a memento from his son, a badge for "An Outstanding Achievement".
I like Edward G. Robinson, his crime films helped establish a genre for himself and contemporaries Jimmy Cagney and Humphrey Bogart. As mentioned earlier, this movie allows him to show off his range as an actor better than most of the dozen or so movies of his I've seen. But for that classic sneering braggadocio and "What's with you, wise guy?" sarcasm, get your hands on "Key Largo", where his portrayal of mobster Johnny Rocco is a real treat. And for a truly offbeat characterization, try "The Amazing Dr. Clitterhouse", not one of his better regarded films, but a blast nevertheless.
When Krozac's final appeal is denied, the prospect of ten years of prison suddenly carry an intolerable weight, both for Joe and Talya. Talya moves away with her son Joey, changes their names, and winds up marrying a sympathetic newspaper reporter (James Stewart) who earlier wrote an unflattering story with the headline "Public Enemy Jr. Toys With Gun". When we hear young Joey/Paul say "Good night Daddy" to his new father, we know there's no turning back for Krozac's family aspirations.
It's when Joe's prison stretch is completed that the movie heads into unrealistic territory. His former gang welcomes him back only long enough to work him over for the money they feel they're owed for ten years of loyalty. When that doesn't work, they kidnap Joe's son, appealing to his fatherly instinct to give in to their demands. So far, so good. But once Joe leads the gang to his stash, they simply let him and the boy go! Had they never heard of REVENGE?
In what turns out to be an extended camping trip on their way back to Joey's home, Krozac learns about his son's new life. The confrontation with Talya and Paul North never plays out, and Krozac leaves with his tail between his legs, until confronted by a surviving member of a brother gang that Krozac had rubbed out years ago. Acey Kile proves to be entirely inept as a rubout artist; after pumping two bullets into Krozac, Joe wrestles the gun away from him and shoots him in return! Fatally wounded, the film zeroes in on the fallen Krozac's outstretched hand clutching a memento from his son, a badge for "An Outstanding Achievement".
I like Edward G. Robinson, his crime films helped establish a genre for himself and contemporaries Jimmy Cagney and Humphrey Bogart. As mentioned earlier, this movie allows him to show off his range as an actor better than most of the dozen or so movies of his I've seen. But for that classic sneering braggadocio and "What's with you, wise guy?" sarcasm, get your hands on "Key Largo", where his portrayal of mobster Johnny Rocco is a real treat. And for a truly offbeat characterization, try "The Amazing Dr. Clitterhouse", not one of his better regarded films, but a blast nevertheless.