Dorathen Better Late Then Never

CommentsXp Best movie ever!

Dirtylogy It's funny, it's tense, it features two great performances from two actors and the director expertly creates a web of odd tension where you actually don't know what is happening for the majority of the run time.

Zlatica One of the worst ways to make a cult movie is to set out to make a cult movie.

Spikeopath Al Capone is directed by Richard Wilson and written by Malvin Wald and Henry F. Greenberg. It stars Rod Steiger, Martin Balsam, Nehemiah Persoff, Fay Spain, Joe DeSantis and Murvyn Vye. Music is by David Raksin and cinematography by Lucien Ballard.Alphonse Gabriel Capone, it's a name synonymous with gangsters of 1920s America, and of course of cinematic films. Richard Wilson's film is one of the better gangster biopics out there, filmed in semi-doc style, it unfolds with great human drama without glorifying the subject matter. If anything it's refreshingly unsentimental in its approach.Steiger is Capone (never Caponee!) and he puts his method stomp all over the role, carrying the film squarely on his well cast shoulders. He has all the ticks and mannerisms of Capone to either chill the blood or charm the other characters in the play, it is very much a powerhouse performance.As a history lesson it's not wholly accurate, but much of it is rigid in the life and times of the famous criminal. The period detail is splendid, with the backdrops boosted no end by the gorgeous monochrome photography served up by Ballard. Enthralling, sometimes violent and always intriguing, this is well worth a look. 7/10

ma-cortes This landmark gangster movie is strong stuff , being dominated by the tenacious acting of Rod Steiger as the gangster of the title who follows his way venomously to the top . Director Richard Wilson's body-strewn look at the feud between Al Capone , Bugs Moran , Johnny Torrio and other famous mobsters , but especially concerns the Rise And Fall Of History's Most Famous Gangster . Alfonso Caponi , Scarface , for a scar on his countenance and son from Italians immigrants . He's a youth comrade of Lucky Luciano and Johnny Torrio , both of whom are also from Napolitan origin . In this unusually accurate biography , small-time hood Al Capone (Rod Steiger) goes to Chicago at the dawn of Prohibition to be the bodyguard of Johnny Torrio (Nehemiah Persoff) . Capone's rise in Chicago Gangdom is strongly carried out by means of violence and murder , subsequently took place his fall .Torrio accompanied to Capone are going to Chicago but he is called by his uncle Jim Colosimo (Joe De Santis) . He's murdered and Torrio rules over as Chicago's crime boss , but during his violent confrontation to Dion O'Bannion he decided Capone managed the business . He becomes head of Chicago's biggest "business," and followed through killing corruption , extortion, and political fraud. Capone (born January 17, 1899 Brooklyn and deceased 1947) running his crime empire until FBI agents and police (James Gregory) worked to send the crime boss to prison. Al Capone's been convicted of tax evasion, but the law states that he can only be confined to a regular jail cell . And from there, he still runs his criminal empire. Michael Rourke, a government agent and Eliot Ness who are aware of this, seek to have him transfered to the newly open maximum security prison, Alcatraz, but nobody believes that this is necessary , but Capone moves inexorably toward his downfall and ignominious final . This factual biography of gang lord Al Capone follows his rise and fall in Chicago gangdom during the Prohibition era. This is a violence-ridden story full of action, drama, thriller and pretty entertaining . The notorious gangster Al Capone being splendidly played by Rod Steiger who makes a good character study of one of the most colorful mobsters of the history . Steiger captures the special excitement or mood of paranoia on Capone role . This fast-moving mobster story heartkened back to the vintage years of tommy-gun thrillers at Warner Bros such as ¨Scarface¨ and ¨Pubic enemy¨ . In the film appears famous gangsters such as the racketeer Johnny Torrio well played by Nehemiah Persoff , George 'Bugs' Moran performed by Murvyn Vye , Dion O'Banion interpreted by Robert Gist , Tony Genaro performed by Al Ruscio and Big Jim Colosimo rightly acted by Joe De Santis . Fay Spain makes an appealing heroine , providing an elegant touch amid the 'macho'machine gun mayhem of the rest of the film . This picture is plenty of mayhem , strong stuff , drama and amount of gangland violence . Although sometimes takes a back seat to the real life and catches the imagination in the storyline . This fast-paced and entertaining film was well directed by Richard Wilson (Invitation a gunfighter , Three in Attic). Wilson was a previous associate of Orson Welles in the Mercury Theatre days and made another good Western as ¨Man with a gun¨, starring Robert Mitchum and ¨Zane Grey¨ episodes. Watchable results for this mobster movie . Other films dealing with Al Capone are the following : The classic ¨Scarface ¨by Howard Hawks with Paul Muni ; ¨Scarface mob¨ by Phil Karlson with Robert Stack and Neville Brand ; ¨The St Valentine's Day Massacre¨(67) by Roger Corman with Jason Robards , Ralph Meeker , Jack Nicholson , Bruce Dern ; ¨Capone¨ by Steve Carver with Ben Gazzara and Susan Blakely , ¨The Untouchables¨ by Brian De Palma with Kevin Costner and Sean Connery . And TV series as ¨The Untouchables of Eliot Ness¨ with Robert Stack , Neville Brand and Keenan Wynn, and ¨The Untouchables¨ with Tom Amandes and William Forshyte .

dougdoepke Steiger delivers in spades, a really rousing performance in an otherwise underrated bio-pic. He's big Al Capone and, by golly, makes you believe it. After all, a bigger than life character needs a bigger than life portrayal. I love it when he leads his chorus of yes-men in the gangland boardroom. In fact, there are a number of memorable scenes— Hymie Weiss getting it on a deserted street; that final scene so perfect in its symbolism; and most any set-up with that fine, underrated actor Martin Balsam.Then too, director Wilson gets the most out of a budget production. For a longish run-time (over 100-min.'s), nothing is wasted, thanks to a tight script, effective staging, and efficient editing. Seems like the only fat is around Capone's middle where it should be. To me, Steiger's resemblance to the real Capone is remarkable. Excellent supporting cast too, especially Balsam's crooked reporter, a textbook in effortless acting. His low-key contrast to Steiger's florid style makes their scenes together doubly interesting. Also, there's that outstanding little actress Fay Spain who manages the near impossible—holding her own in scenes with the over-powering SteigerI may be wrong, but I believe the movie's success kicked off a spate of old-time gangster flicks, culminating with TV's smash hit The Untouchables (1959-1963). However, in my book, none are better than this juicy slice of thick ear, with a role Steiger was born to play.

Coxer99 Rod Steiger electrifies the screen in this dramatization of the famed gangster's life, which traces his rise from small time hood to larger than life crime boss. Better than any other film made about the legendary mob boss. Martin Balsam also co-stars.