Douglas Fairbanks Jr., Edward G. Robinson, Glenda Farrell

Edward G. Robinson exploded onto movie screens as Enrico Bandello, small-time thug turned hoodlum kingpin, and the rest was gangster movie history. 'Little Caesar' is still the mother of all underworl...( read more  read more... )d sagas.

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71% liked it

4,645 ratings

Critics

83% liked it

18 critics

G, 1 hr. 20 min.

Directed by: Mervyn LeRoy

Release Date: January 1, 1930

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DVD Release Date: January 25, 2005

Stats: 197 reviews

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Flixster Reviews (197)


  • March 16, 2009
    Due to the time it was made, the film has a smack of a silent feature, it may be histrionic and overdramatized, but that doesn't keep it from being fascinating, not only for its controversial subject matter, or Mervyn Le Roy's direction but especially for Edward G. Robinson's pow...( read more)erful screen persona.
    It is an absolute pleasure to watch such grand portrayal of Rico; a greedy, dominant, no-nonsense short figure who moves his thumb as he was already somebody, and commands his own way, in disdain of any authority that out rank him as the supreme boss of the underworld.
    A classic 'rags to riches' american tragedy.
  • August 20, 2008
    in the breakthrough role of a film career spanning more than 50 years, robinson is magnetic as a gangster based on al capone, who was alive and well when this was made. his buddy, douglas fairbanks jr, just wants to dance. but once you're in there's no gettin out.
  • March 25, 2008
    this is a solid flick. robinson was great in these gangster roles, and this is one of his classics. there wasnt a stress on things that usually make a film great, but it wasnt trying to be great, it was just trying to entertain and it did.
  • November 28, 2007
    another classic gangster flick blueprinted on legendary mob-killer al capone....it contributes to edward g. robinson's promptly made stardom, also a stepping stone for douglas fairbanks jr. to further his sprouting career, fairbanks' role as the best pal of rico's (little caesar ...( read more)played robinson) is hearsay the tale of george raft's catapult from mob thug toward broadway dancer then hollywood star. both the roles of little caesar and best pal were considered with clark gable, but rebuked by jack warner becuz of gable's strung-out ears.

    the story is basically archetyped: caesar enrico bandello seeks fame and wealth by exerting himself to the top scale of rough masculinity, plundering of what he wants incorrigibly. something differentiates little caesar is his eagerness of news paper publicity, and he sets up his goal to be praised gloriously in news paper in the first scene at cafe....and also another peculiar trait is the abscence of mistress...usually in gangster flicks, a gangster makes his success, he would pursue after a dame to satiate his lust with his mighty power then consummate his egoism of manhood with a flashy harpie-alike female. but little caesar is not enthusiastic to seek a female companion, he's more avid to solicit his best pal joe back to celebrate his success instead, even tempts his pal with the enormous profits of his business. converted joe chooses to be reformed by his love interest, therefore it breaks caesar's heart..and our ruthless caesar cannot even trigger a shot to dispose of joe to eliminate the danger of exposure. some critics doubt seriously if little caesar is a closet homosexual or not, and he seems not interested in women that is an amusing notion. is the existence of woman only the assureness of man's heterosexuality??

    as for the legendary finishing line "mother of mercy, is that the end of rico?"....the scriptor wonders if he should choose "mother of god" or "mother of mercy"....and the chewing cigar poise is innovated by robinson's own idiosyncracy...and there's another more cynical ending written in script which is rico hears news paper condemns him as yellowed coward, he rushes to the police station in an outrage but no one recognizes him as little caesar, then he departs and be a nameless bum for good.

    "little caesar" in general is not an elaborately made flick, considering its time, 1930, it was just the attempted trial of popularized sound flick...and the only thing evolves "little caesar" into everlasting classic is robinson's chrismatic screen persona.
  • September 30, 2007
    The film that made Edgar G. Robinson a star. He plays a little badass thug who wants to "be somebody" and does as he moves through the ranks of gansters and eventually displaces the mob boss he once idolized. The only real problem I had with it was hearing Robinson's characterist...( read more)ic voice and realizing how accurately all the impersonators did him over the years. It was a bit distracting. I prefer Jimmy Cagney in "Public Enemy" to this, as Cagney had more of a vicious streak than Robinsion, but this stands up well on its own.
  • October 29, 2009
    GREAT movie.Shows where you might end up if you take the wrong path in life
  • September 5, 2009
    This is classic gangster fun, see? Yeah--fun. If you're not yellow. Maah! You can dish it, but you can't take it.
  • June 28, 2009
    One of the first mob movies, and it has inspired many movies following it. The story is standard these days, but it was new back then. I found it entertaining and the charactors interesting. Edward G. Robinson does a marvelous job as Rico. In fact, all the actors do a marvelo...( read more)us job, especially in those days where most actors was just saying lines well. The film wasn't trying too hard, and it just simply told a solid story about the rise and fall of "Little Caesar".
  • June 9, 2009
    Mother of mercy... is this the end of Rico?? Yup, but it's the rise of the gangster!
  • June 5, 2009
    This is a cinema milestone as far as establishing the basis for a genre goes, and some of Mervyn LeRoy's visual work is very bold as well. It is one of the first American films released in sound, and that fact is evident. It suffers from structural flaws and the performances drip...( read more) with traditional form. It is still an impressive achievement, and very entertaining to watch.

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  • Which film company started a craze for gangster movies with films like "Little Caesar","The Public Enemy" and "Scarface"?  Answer »

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