With James Cagney, Edward G. Robinson was one of the icons of gangster cinema. Little Caesar would be his most noteworthy role, as Cesare "Rico" Bandello, an aspiring gangster who hits it big, only to crash and burn, winding up in the gutter.

Robinson's sneering performance is such an archetype it's worth seeing for that alone. The story, alas, is kind of a dud. Not much of Rico's rise and fall is explained -- he just rides the script's randomness, looking for opportunities to scowl his way through another scene. I mean this in the best way possible.

Little Caesar is an early talkie, and it's very rough around the edges from a production standpoint (presumably, I'm guessing, because the actors couldn't stray too far from the microphones secreted around the set), and the DVD Warner Brothers has finally issued is full of scratches. The sound isn't much better, but this is a film that you watch for Robinson's inimitable voice and cadence, not the swooping soundtrack.

Come for Rico, stay for Rico. If you want to watch the featurettes, introductions, and historical commentary tracks, all the better.



R-I-C-O!