Wonderful character development!

Powerful

At first rather annoying in its heavy emphasis on reenactments, this movie ultimately proves fascinating, simply because the complicated, highly dramatic tale it tells still almost defies belief.

I enjoyed watching this film and would recommend other to give it a try , (as I am) but this movie, although enjoyable to watch due to the better than average acting fails to add anything new to its storyline that is all too familiar to these types of movies.

Al Capone is directed by Richard Wilson and written by Malvin Wald and Henry F. Greenberg. It stars Rod Steiger, Martin Balsam, Nehemiah Persoff, Fay Spain, Joe DeSantis and Murvyn Vye. Music is by David Raksin and cinematography by Lucien Ballard.Alphonse Gabriel Capone, it's a name synonymous with gangsters of 1920s America, and of course of cinematic films. Richard Wilson's film is one of the better gangster biopics out there, filmed in semi-doc style, it unfolds with great human drama without glorifying the subject matter. If anything it's refreshingly unsentimental in its approach.Steiger is Capone (never Caponee!) and he puts his method stomp all over the role, carrying the film squarely on his well cast shoulders. He has all the ticks and mannerisms of Capone to either chill the blood or charm the other characters in the play, it is very much a powerhouse performance.As a history lesson it's not wholly accurate, but much of it is rigid in the life and times of the famous criminal. The period detail is splendid, with the backdrops boosted no end by the gorgeous monochrome photography served up by Ballard. Enthralling, sometimes violent and always intriguing, this is well worth a look. 7/10

Here you have a very brutal and famous iconic criminal played by a very intense, almost overwhelming portrayal by Rod Steiger - who is definitely one of the all-time iconic movie "tough- guys". So, unless the writers drop the ball this should work and so it, mostly, does.By today's standards one might laugh at the depiction of the gang violence of Chicago in 1919. First, this was depicting a period in the twenties where outlaws had the advantage over law- enforcement, and, second, this is filmed with the technology and production values from a by- gone era. The viewer must keep in mind that the 20's Capone vs. O'Banion feud was between gangs not yet spilling over into the general populace, - even more jaw-dropping was Capone's rackets of virtually running city hall and skimming from the legitimate businesses of Chicago. This was achieved with a violet campaign of bombs with a body count. One that in modern times we can't wrap our heads around as to how in any time one criminal could freely do such. Well, he did and what you see isn't really such a poor representation as the point is made with what could be just graphic enough yet palatable for consumption per period norms. If anything it does depict it topically though ham-strung with the necessary sanitizing for 1950's audiences. Capone, the film, gets a pass here because it humbly, yet effectively, shows Capone as extremely violent with much charisma as only a psychopath combines.Now, seriously,what makes this film quite good? The fact it really did happen looms large, Capone was a unique man at a unique place at a unique time; creating the so-called "perfect storm", an overused, but accurate cliché' here. This is to be kept in mind as this film needed to be made.Though NYC's mob Coss Nostra would rule in similar fashion years later, however, no one ever controlled a town so completely and with the impunity of Al Capone. He was on a scale that belies rational comprehension. The writers have effectively had to tread lightly and still push this into the viewer's psyche. I think they've just barely managed it sans the luxury of the tremendous graphic violence and language of more modern films. Sure they've glossed over much, but they've got Steiger and he really brings Capone to life. Steiger's like DaVinci as he paints Capone with his physical presence, amazing expressions, animated delivery of harshly direct dialog, and ebbs and flows of anger. This is, perhaps, the definitive mob psychopath with, at least early on unlimited power. So, no Steiger doesn't "over act " or slip into uncontrolled melodrama. He's "spot on" one might say. It's a performance that stands tall and no matter how many times Capone's life is re-ran this will absolutely stand as the definitive celluloid Al Capone. That's how good Steiger is and he makes a movie that could rate a 5 or 6 into a 7.5.In the must see crime/gangster flicks there's, of course, The Godfather, then Scarface, and right behind that comes Capone before Bonnie and Clyde I'd humbly submit. Gotta see this one.

Method actor Rod Steiger probably spent a lot of time prepping his impersonation of Twenties Chicago mobster Al Capone for the film of the same name. Method actors tend to do that sort of thing. Sometimes it works, at other times it doesn't. In Steiger's case, it's 'spot on.' Eschewing any pretence at subtlety, his coarse, sweaty, psychotic Capone is pure evil, street-smart scum who can preside over a hit from another time zone while simultaneously enjoying good music, expensive scotch and a civilized conversation with a fascinated, old aristocrat. Based upon the life of racketeer Alphonso Capone, AL CAPONE violently traces the hood's 1920s rise from journeyman bodyguard in a Chicago nightclub/whorehouse to feared crime boss whose devotion to position, power and money are the only real loves of his life. And of course, as with any true love there will be those inevitable bumps and detours, ups and downs along the way. Indeed true love, like those pesky universes sometimes referred to, have this rather nasty habit of not unfolding as one might otherwise wish. Filmed in 1958 and released by poverty row studio Allied Artists in 1959, AL CAPONE also effectively features Fay Spain, James Gregory, Martin Balsam, Nehemiah Persoff and Murvyn Vye along with a fine David Raksin (LAURA) score. A riveting black and white gem, it was economically directed by Richard Wilson and is probably the best screen presentation of the Capone story, with the charismatic Rod Steiger brilliantly capturing the diabolical drive and zealotry of a maniacal monster barely a step removed from the suicide-bombing fanatics of today.This one is not to be missed!

FOLLOWING ITS INITIAL exclusive showing at one of the big, Downtown Loop movie houses, AL CAPONE (Allied Artists, 1959) went into general release; then being booked at many of the old neighborhood theaters.* How well we remember the Newspaper and Radio/Television advertising campaign: "AL CAPONE TAKES OVER CHICAGO" that was apparently especially tailored to our pride as Native Chicagoans in this most famous and infamous of its "Favourite Sons." ODDLY ENOUGH, PRIOR to the release of this film to the theatrical movie house circuits, we (that is "I"), having been born in 1946 at the beginning of "the Post War Baby Boom", had not heard of him and really knew nothing about neither "the Roaring 20's" nor the Gangster Era and "Great Depression" of the 1930's. Mr. Capone had only died 12 years prior, yet it was as if there had been an "evil conspiracy" on a great scale to rewrite history and remove any of our knowledge of his life and career as boss pf organized crime.THAT LAST YEAR of the Decade of the '50's would prove to be very eventful overall** and a particular watershed for old "Scarface"; which was only one of many mostly unflattering monikers that were hung on him. In addition to this movie, we were treated to the 2 part presentation of The Untouchables on DESILU PLAYHOUSE (CBS TV). This then begot the long running and still very popular Television Series of THE UNTOUCHABLES (Desilu/Langford Prod./ABC TV, 1959-63).AS FOR THE PARTICULARS of the film, after having just viewing it once again (courtesy of Turner Claccic Movies), we found it to be an even better movie than we had remembered. It was done in a very straight forward and no frills manner. It starts with a young Alphonmse (Rod Steiger)arriving in the Windy City; in order to take a position with his friend/mentor Johnny Torrio's gang. (His first assignment is portrayed as being a bouncer in a saloon/gambling joint; which was in reality a whorehouse! Tsk, tsk!) AT THIS EARLY period, it was "Big Jim" Colosimo who was the kingpin among the Italian and Iriosh gangs of the South & West Sides. The story documents Capone's rise to the top following his engineering the murder of Colosino and Torrio's "retirement"; after he had a near miss in an attempt on his life by the O'Banion/Moran/Weiss North Side mob.THE MOVIE HAS much to recommend it. It has a fine cast; which also features Fay Spain as the widow of one of Capone's killings; who eventually marries the big guy. James Gregory turns in his best work as a tough, honest Chicago Police Sergeant; whose rise to Captain and "Inspector"*** parallels that of "Big Al".ITS USE OF B&W filming adds to the overall effect of realistic storytelling; as Black & White was the predominant format in the gangster era and was still the most common in 1959. Add a great and most appropriate musical score; which serves the production well in underscoring and emphasizing the action and storyline.ONE FINAL NOTE that we must add before closing is our observation that there is no soft selling nor unnecessary 'humanizing' of the subject matter. Unlike an awful lot of movies of the Gangster Genre, there is no portrayal of Capone's being strong and tough; but all for his family. This is particularly true of most of the Mob movies of the Post-Godfather Era.We give AL CAPONE a 3 1/2 Tommy Gun rating.NOTE: * "Neighborhood Theatre", refers to a practice in those bygone days before the invention of the Shopping Mall Multiplex, when single screen movie houses were situated in various shopping districts throughout cities and towns.NOTE:** Okay, so technically the 1960's don't start until January 1, 1961; but '59 is the last year to have a 50 series number. Also. incidentally, 1959 was historically a watershed year. During '59. Fidel Castro came to power, the U.S. suffered a many months long Steel Strike and even the most unusual of happenings occurred. The Chicago White Sox won the American League Pennant and faced the now Los Angeles Dodgers in the World Series.NOTE*** The Rank of "Inspector" may carry a lot of importance in New York, Boston, Metropolis or Paris; but on the Chicago Police Department an Inspector is a sort of overpaid version of a school lunchroom captain or lavatory monitor. He is of the rank of Lieutennant and gets his pay for such matters as gigging street cops for not having their hats on, taking too long on lunch and for (in their estimation)taking too long on assignments.