Linbeymusol Wonderful character development!

SoftInloveRox Horrible, fascist and poorly acted

Salubfoto It's an amazing and heartbreaking story.

Jenni Devyn Worth seeing just to witness how winsome it is.

Robert J. Maxwell There seems to be little connection between this story of "Legs" Diamond, who rose and fell, from bodyguard to mob boss to mob target in the 1920s, and the series of effective and inexpensive Westerns that Budd Boetticher had directed in the previous ten years. Too bad.The best of Boetticher's Randolph Scott Westerns has some good characterization and some occasionally fine dialog. Scott was always a taciturn man of principle who functioned as a kind of anchor for the other figures. The best of the stories had colorful villains and sidekicks like Lee Marvin and Richard Boone, outlaws with YEARNING.Alas, there is no Randolph Scott here. The central figure is Jack "Legs" Diamond, played by the marmorial Ray Danton, who was one of those actors, like Michael Ansara, much better at playing painted Sioux Indians than anything else. Karen Steele (Mrs. Boetticher at the time) is his loving wife for whom he cares nothing. She's a competent actress except when she needs to play a drunk, which is awful, and then she's one of those drunks that is embarrassing to watch.As for colorful villains, they're noticeably absent too. Oh, there are villains aplenty. Everybody is a villain or a weakling. But they're formulaic. They think of nobody but themselves. They have no unfulfilled desires, no spiritual qualities. Diamond himself sheds his friends, or vice versa. He even allows his crippled brother to die because his enemies are "getting to me through him." Well -- the bottom line is, if anybody makes you vulnerable, get rid of him.The best scene? Jesse White is a rival gangster who has tried to kill Diamond. White and his body guards visit an empty German restaurant, and, instead of the Dunkel that White ordered, Diamond emerges from the dumbwaiter carrying a Tommy gun. He makes White get on his knees and beg for his life while the poor guy is still trying to swallow his sauerkraut. It's the best scene in the movie in that it's the most amusing scene, but it's hardly memorable.After this production, Budd Boetticher was to go on a vision quest in Mexico where he wound up broke, living in roach-ridden motels and eating burritos. That's fine when you're in your teens or 20s but Boetticher was in his 40s. And that's a different story. To quote Philip Marlowe, "It was the kind of place I was always afraid I'd wind up in -- alone and broke." Still, a man of considerable probity, Boetticher will be remembered for those cheap Randolph Scott gem stones.

st-shot Ray Danton brings a suave cold charm to the title role of this film about the Roaring 20s gangster. The usually wooden Danton, nattily attired with a pair of shoulder holsters, cuts quite a figure as he shoots, seduces and betrays his way to achieve his ambitious goals.Jack Diamond and his handicapped brother come to the big city in search of a new start as jewelery thieves. This venture get's him jailed but it fails to dampen his desire for fast cash and he begins to rob crooks in order to eliminate police involvement. He catches the eye of big time gambler Arnold Rothstein, fixer of the 1918 World Series. He goes to work as a bodyguard for Rothstein who is later murdered thus expediting Leg's rise.Budd Boeticher directs economically, benefiting both pace and story line as well as Diamond's sharkish style self assuredly delivered by Danton. He also does a nice job of keeping Diamond's involvement in the rub out of Rothstein ambiguous (an unsolved murder to this day) as he attempts to follow the factual outline of his career. In addition Lucien Ballard's photography gives the studio interiors and exteriors an extra touch of grit and noir in one of the better gangster pictures made during a period when the genre was in a bit of a funk.

Claudio Carvalho In the 20's, the ambitious smalltime thief Jack Diamond (Ray Danton) and his sick brother Eddie Diamond (Warren Oates) arrive in New York. Jack meets the dance teacher Alice Shiffer (Karen Steele) and uses dirty tricks to date her and steal a necklace in a jewelry store. After spending a period in prison, he asks Alice to work with her in the dance school during his probation. Then he decides to work as bodyguard of the powerful gangster lord Arnold Rothstein (Robert Lowery) that dubs him Legs, with the intention of stealing his illegal business of bootleg, drugs and gambling. When Arnold is murdered, Legs Diamond sells protection to the gangs. When he travels to Europe with Alice on vacation, he sees in the news the changes in New York underworld with the National Prohibition Act and returns, finding a different city that he does not understand. "The Rise and Fall of Legs Diamond" is a good gangster movie based on the biography of the criminal Jack "Legs" Diamond. The gangster is described as a man that did not love anybody and believed that he could never be killed, ending his life alone without friends and betrayed by a lover. This movie was released on VHS in Brazil by Continental distributor. My vote is seven.Title (Brazil): "O Rei dos Facínoras" ("The King of the Ruffians")

Allen J. Duffis (sataft-2) For the record, this film is historically inaccurate: not for the events, but for the true life character portrayals and interactions.For instance, there is no evidence in the record of the time that Arnold (The Big Bankroll) Rothstein ever formally met with Jack "Legs" Diamond. Nor is there any record of Diamond having anything to do with Rothstein's girlfriend or his gangland assassination.Despite these gaps in historical fact, this is one of the most highly entertaining ( of the 1960's crop) of films ever made of that era. In fact many film critics hold to the opinion that most, if not all, of the gangster films of the sixties, were poor attempts to copy the style and success of this one. The production is tightly written, well paced and beautifully filmed by a director (Bud Boetticher) who knew his way around black and white photography. And they couldn't have picked a better subject of the Prohibition Era than Jack "Legs" Diamond.Jack Diamond was not called "Legs" because he worked for a short time as a dancer, but for the fact that he was initially a highly successful 'snatch and run' thief in the garment district. But he did eventually get caught and served a stint in prison. But forget the historical inaccuracies and enjoy this never boring gangster film.Ray Danton, one of the most highly underrated actors of his time, gives a riveting fast paced portrayal of Diamond that will be hard to surpass. Not only is he believable in the outrageous stunts he pulls, but he just as easily exposes a manic and tragic side to his character as well: all without missing a beat.This unusual film also allows you to see some of the screens most memorable character actors at their best. But most of all, you get to see two soon to be famous actors on their way up.This was actress Dyan Cannon's first film, in a memorable role as the character,Dixie. And soon to be veteran character Warren Oates makes his third appearance in the movies as "Legs" Diamond's brother, Eddie. A careful study his early acting skills in this role, clearly defines why he went on to become one of the most endearing and recognizable character actors of all time.Trust me on this one, fans. Whether you like Depression Era gangster films or not, you will be constantly entertained by this one. Don't miss it!