Baby Face Nelson (1957)
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83% want to see it
(6 ratings)
Fittingly directed by Illinois native and bad-guy filmmaker Don Siegel, this action-packed film stars Mickey Rooney as the unflinching, trigger-happy member of the infamous Dillinger gang that besieged the Midwest circa 1933. Rooney is Lester "Baby Face Nelson" Gillis and Carolyn Jones his… More Fittingly directed by Illinois native and bad-guy filmmaker Don Siegel, this action-packed film stars Mickey Rooney as the unflinching, trigger-happy member of the infamous Dillinger gang that besieged the Midwest circa 1933. Rooney is Lester "Baby Face Nelson" Gillis and Carolyn Jones his gun moll, Sue, in this fictionalized tale of a scrawny street tough turned psychotic gangster. After being released from prison, Nelson goes to work for mob boss Rocca (Ted De Corsia), who eventually recognizes that a madman is in his service and turns him in to the cops. Managing to elude capture, Nelson kills Rocca and takes Sue with him. He then joins Dillinger's gang in a series of savage robberies, obliterating anyone who gets in his way. Inevitably, FBI agents ambush and injure Nelson, who finally admits his own ruthlessness to himself and Sue, conceding that he would even murder children if necessary. He orders Sue to kill him before he commits any more savage acts. This is a coarse and deliberately aggressive film, distinguished by Rooney's frenzied performance as an unruly and deranged criminal. ~ Don Kaye, Rovi
- Directed By
- Don Siegel
- Genres
- Drama
Unrated,
- Studio
- United Artists
Critic Reviews
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Dave Kehr, Chicago Reader
It's taut, fast, simple, and electrically cathartic.
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Bosley Crowther, New York Times
A thoroughly standard, pointless and even old-fashioned gangster picture, the kind that began going out along with the oldtime sedans.
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Dennis Schwartz, Ozus' World Movie Reviews
Raw and twitchy gangster biopic about a thirties public enemy Number No. 1 is typical bang-bang stuff.
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Rotten (59% or fewer critics rated the movie positively)
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Cast
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Mickey Rooney
as Lester "Baby Face Nelson" Gillis
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Carolyn Jones
as Sue
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Cedric Hardwicke
as Doc Saunders
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Leo Gordon
as John Dillinger
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Christopher Dark
as Jerry
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Anthony Caruso
as Hamilton
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Jack Elam
as Fatso
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Emile G. Meyer
as Mac
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Dan Terranova
as Miller
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Dabbs Greer
as Bonner
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Robert Osterloh
as Johnson
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Dick Crockett
as Powell
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Thayer David
as Connelly
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Gil Perkins
as Duncan
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Tom Fadden
as Harkins
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Lisa Davis
as Ann Saper
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John Hoyt
as Parker
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Elisha Cook Jr.
as Van Meter
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Murray Alper
as Bank Guard
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George E. Stone
as Mr. Hall
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Ted de Corsia
as Rocco
- Sol (Saul) Gorss
- Kenneth Patterson
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Paul R. Baxley Jr.
as Aldridge
- Hubie Kerns Sr.
