Seen of: AFI's Ten Top 10: Gangster

An astonishing Gangster Thriller. All the performances are great and they all clearly did their very best.

I loved Faye Dunaway as Bonnie Parker and she used a wide range of emotions in a fantastic way. Gene hackamn was the best I have ever seen him so far and Warren Beatty, in the first film I have seen of his, was great too. Estelle Parsons deserved her oscar win for best supporting actress as the Panickky wife of Clyde brother Buck. But my favourite performance was Gene Wilder as a man who's car is stolen. His part is only 10 minutes long, but it is easily the most memorable part of the film.

The direction is good, as was is the editing (no nomination?) as were the acurate costume choice and sets, depicting the era very believably. The music suited the film too.

This is one of the best films ever made. It really is a pillar in film and one of the best of the 60's and one of the best of all time too.

Easily the greatist Gangster film of the 30's and that's saying something seeing as The Public Enemy and Little Caesar were also released that decade. Not only is it the best Gangster film of the 30's, it is the 3rd best Gangster film of all time.

1. Pulp Fiction
2. White Heat
3. Scarface.

When I put this in the DVD player, I wasn't expecting it to beat the 1983 loose remake. I was expecting it to reach a low postion in my top 100 at least. What happened, however, is that it Did beat the recent one. I just felt It was so well made.

It was directed brilliantly by Howard Hawkes, my first film I've seen of his, and now I can't wait to see other classics of his. He made some murders and shoot outs so realistic and directed everything else with just the same amount of talent. Scenes with Gangsters negotiating, scenes of Tony's jealousy over his sister and everything else shot with style and skill.

The editing for this film was amazing, especially in the tense shoot-outs, which are made even more tense with the snappy editing.

All of the performances are perfect. Osgood Perkins, father of Anthony Perkins from Psycho was easilly one of the best in the film. But it was Paul Muni who was amazing. He delivered each line with wonderfully and each word was made spoken perfectly in character.

Although I had high enough expectations for this, it really did smash them to become one of my favourite gangster films and one of my favourite films of all time too.

Undoubtedly one of the best films ever made. A flawless film. It will keep you enthralled for the whole 2 hours and 30 minutes running time. When I first saw the length on the back of the DVD, I wasn't sure whether in parts it would drag. Oh no; no it doesn't. Never. It never feels long. It is never boring. You are glued from start to finish. Even the credits are great to watch with the fantastic Miserlou playing over it. I have no idea what magic Quentin used in this film, but every film maker should take some of it. You can never go wrong.
For starters, Quentin Tarantino has got to be the best script writer there has ever been in Hollywood. True Romance. He wrote it but didn't direct it. However, it is Tarantino's film all the way. Reservoir Dogs. It has one of the best screenplays I have ever heard, which he so successfully managed to transfer in this wonder two years later. Jackie Brown. Easily one of the smartest and enjoyable films of the 1990's. It was his decade, and with just 3 films, that is quite a feat. However, this is the peak of his career. His best screenplay and best film as a whole which I very much doubt he will be to beat.

He directs with such amazing and inspirational skill. Along side Stanley Kubrick, he is one of the main reasons why I want to work in films. Each and every angle is perfectly chosen to suit the scene and to keep your interest. The camera movements all work so well together as they give you an insight into the lives of the characters. It is too hard to even explain how good a job he did of this classic.

Now for the cast. Wow! Each cast member was chosen so well. He chose the right person for the right scene. Travolta and Jackson as the assassins, Tim Roth as a Cafe robber, Uma Thurman as a gangster's girlfriend and Bruce Willis as a boxer. I can't imagine any other actors or actresses in these roles. Each of them are just perfect. Samuel L. Jackson not winning best supporting actor? What. The. Fuck. Not winning best picture nor director? Again, what happened? Although I loved Forrest Gump, it pales in comparison to this. Hopefully Tarantino won't go down in film history with Stanley Kubrick and Alfred Hitchcock as directors who never won the Academy Award for directing but really were due one.

I have mentioned how great the cast are and together they form the greatest ensemble ever rounded up. Each character is different from the others, each with vastly different stories about them and they all pull it off with such talent. 3 acting nominations, Thurman, Jackson and Travolta, and no wins. One should have won at least!

The individual stories are wonderful, each with brilliant scenes amongst them. You never lose interest because each story is so damn good. This film is Comedy at its darkest. A Thriller at its most gripping. The Violence is tasteful and needed for a good impact. It is pulled off whilst you watch disgusted yet excited. The violence looks so good on the screen thanks to the marvellous cinematography. The blood is a vivid red and the bruises are complimented by it; showing up and looking so realistic thanks to the lighting. It wasn't nominated in this category at the Oscars; yet another major snub for this film. Whatever were they thinking not to nominate a film which looks as amazing as this?

On top of everything else which helps to make this a masterpiece, the music is a key factor to. Miserlou, perhaps all the more famous due to this film (often being known as "The Pulp Fiction tune") has got the be on of the best songs chosen for a film. It is very memorable and suits the film unbelievably well. It is partly what makes Pulp Fiction what it is. Tarantino has an ear for this kind of thing. He never uses a composed piece, but instead a previously recorded piece. For example Little Green Bag by George Baker in Reservoir Dogs. Perfectly suited to the mood of the film. Much like Miserlou to this. It works, and Tarantino knows it. It works just like any score could.

The editing creates a good effect too. A simple cut between two characters during a kill has a wonderful impact and is very memorable. One of the most memorable tiny details amongst the many others. These tiny details are as important as the big ones, creating atmosphere and helping the film in a big way. The editing was nominated at the Oscars but, again didn't win. Just appalling.

Everything about this film and I mean everything is flawless. It is one film which I will never stop loving. The greatest Gangster film, the greatest black comedy, the greatest thriller and an overall great film. Just fantastic in every single way.

A ground-breaking early gangster film. Exciting and memorable, with some of the best lines and scenes in the history of cinema.

Edward G. Robinson plays "Little Caesar", his gangster nickname, magnificently. I believed his part very much.

The direction is good, suhc as the camera pulling up from a gambling table and, in another scene, away from somebody's face slowly.

The editing is brilliant for its time, particularily in t he first real gun battle/robbery and it maintains the good level throughout the entire film.

This is one of the best gangster films and deserves its place in AFI's top 10 gangster films.

I was blown away after being entranced for an hour and 15 minutes, and it will do they same for you.