SunnyHello Nice effects though.

Kodie Bird True to its essence, the characters remain on the same line and manage to entertain the viewer, each highlighting their own distinctive qualities or touches.

Aneesa Wardle The story, direction, characters, and writing/dialogue is akin to taking a tranquilizer shot to the neck, but everything else was so well done.

Scotty Burke It is interesting even when nothing much happens, which is for most of its 3-hour running time. Read full review

Robert J. Maxwell Roger Corman, now past the age of 90, is to be congratulated for making movies on a shoestring. The guy was a master, and an educated one too -- engineering from Stanford. And an engaging actor too in small parts.That's not to say the movies he made were good. The Poe stories weren't Poe stories, just lurid tales in gaudy color with Vincent Price's mellifluous voice haunting the sound tracks.Corman joined the parade that was turning out gangster "biographies" around 1960. This one is not as good as Rod Steiger's "Capone" but no worse that Mickey Rooney as Baby Face Nelson.It's routine in every detail. The acting is pedestrian when it's not plain bad -- as in Susan Cabot's or Frank DeKova as an alcoholic gas station owner. Bronson was not yet the irresistible force for justice that he was to become, so he's still in his sinister mode -- sneering and insulting everyone.These insults are unexplainable. Everyone insults everyone else or at least teases them. Bronson never smiles except when Morey Amsterdam as a homosexual is humiliated. He's a pustule ready to pop. Yet his colleagues seem to enjoy taunting him, especially about his fear of death, even though they must KNOW he's going to deck them for it.It would have been nice if the dialog were in any way original but it lacks sparkle. There isn't a memorable line in the entire movie. And it would have been so easy -- "Mother of Mercy, is this the end of Machine Gun Kelly?" "I wish you was a wishin' well so's I could tie a bucket to ya and sink ya." (Huh?) If Kelly really were like this, he must have been an unpleasant man.

Leofwine_draca Roger Corman is, of course, renowned as one of the leading purveyors of schlocky B-movie fare, particularly during the late 1950s when he first came to prominence. This was a guy who always knew how to bring in his movies under budget and how to make every nickel count. However, having just watched MACHINE-GUN KELLY, a true-life biopic of a Prohibition-era gangster, I have to say that I feel Corman's efforts were best suited to the horror and sci-fi genres.The problem with MACHINE-GUN KELLY is that it just isn't very interesting. Despite the excitement inherent in the premise of having a bank robber as a film's leading character, this turns out to be a talky, staged and frankly dull affair in which the paucity of the budget is more than apparent. Sure, there are some decent sequences along the way, including a couple of exciting bank robberies and some interesting interludes with a big cat, but that's about it.The focus of the film seems to be on characterisation, and in particular providing a character assassination of Kelly himself. He's portrayed as a guy who's an absolute coward when he doesn't have his gun in hand, and he ends up being manipulated by his associates and dames. Charles Bronson is great fun, of course, and it's nice to see him being more expressive than he would be in later years, but he has little to work with and long stretches of the film fall flat.

ebiros2 The movie is so so but the acting of Charles Bronson shines even in this early career low budget film.The movie is made by American International Pictures that produced many low budget movies of the '50s with varying qualities. One thing American International Pictures did right was choosing their actors, and many future greats had their start with their movies. Charles Bronson was on the verge of breaking big with this movie. He would soon become a recognizable face with TV series "Man with the Camera". His rise to stardom was definitely not a fluke as you can see in this movie. He plays a mean character, but he has charisma that's not of a rough gangster without principles.The production of the movie is woefully basic, but actors are good, and the way the scene changes is very different from the movies made today, which gives the feeling of nostalgia. Maybe nostalgia is not misplaced as you see many faces that played supporting roles in many of the '60s and '70s movies. Not a great movie, but the presence of Charles Bronson makes this movie worth watching.

Michael_Elliott Machine Gun Kelly (1958) ** 1/2 (out of 4) Low budget gangster film has Charles Bronson playing the title character, a harden criminal who always has his Thompson machine gun in hand but he also has a fear of being killed. This Roger Corman quickie is pretty good throughout, although the film really doesn't offer anything new the to the genre. The movie moves at a pretty fast pace and contains plenty of action to keep fans entertained. The most interesting thing about watching this movie today is seeing the young Bronson give a performance, which he certainly wouldn't give after becoming a star. If you've only seen Bronson's later day stuff then you're in for a treat as we see a different type of Bronson here. A fast talker, one that smiles and even one who flirts with the ladies. This adds a little more charm to the film that I'm sure it didn't have back when it was originally released. Susan Cabot is very good as Bronson's girlfriend, a dirty little girl who doesn't mind looking at other men. The action is very good throughout and the film has a great music score but I wish it had tried something a little different every once in a while. The best moments in the film are the ones with Bronson messing with a caged lion.