Tagarchief: Gangster Films

Dungeon Classics #44: A History of Violence

Posted on by Jeppe Kleijngeld

FilmDungeon’s Chief Editor JK sorts through the Dungeon’s DVD-collection to look for old cult favorites….

A History of Violence (2005, USA, Germany)

Director: David Cronenberg
Cast: Viggo Mortensen, Maria Bello, Ed Harris
Running Time: 96 mins.

David Cronenberg, the master of body horror, has long been fascinated by duality and fractured identities – most brilliantly explored in Dead Ringers (1988). In A History of Violence, adapted from a graphic novel, family man Tom Stall (Viggo Mortensen) reassures his young daughter that monsters don’t exist. Yet, as fate would have it, two real monsters arrive in their quiet town of Millbrook, Indiana, intent on another murderous spree. Tom stops them, but the media frenzy that follows draws the attention of gangsters who expose his dark past as a Philadelphia mob enforcer. Meanwhile, Tom’s sharp-witted son outsmarts an alpha male schoolyard bully, sparking a reflection on humanity’s violent, primal nature – our constant lust for power and sex. This realization weighs heavily on the son, who soon finds himself drawn into the violent legacy of the man his father once was. The ‘history’ in the title is richly layered: Tom’s hidden past, the family’s shared burden, and, quite literally, a story steeped in bloodshed. The film boasts a stellar cast, with William Hurt delivering a standout performance as Tom’s weirdo brother, Richie. It’s a history worth uncovering.

F1rst Season Review: MobLand

Posted on by Jeppe Kleijngeld

In 1980, Pierce Brosnan made his screen debut in The Long Good Friday, one of the greatest British gangster films ever made, starring Helen Mirren. Now, 45 years later, Brosnan and Mirren reunite as the power couple at the heart of SkyShowtime’s hit series MobLand, joined by Tom Hardy and Paddy Considine in pivotal roles.

The show’s creator, Ronan Bennett, is no stranger to crime drama, having previously helmed the British series Top Boy and written the screenplay for Michael Mann’s Public Enemies (2009), the John Dillinger biopic.

The first two episodes of MobLand are directed by Guy Ritchie, and the series takes off like a rocket. We’re thrown into the chaos as Eddie Harrigan – the volatile grandson of gangster boss Conrad Harrison (Brosnan) – causes mayhem in a London nightclub, all set to the high-energy beats of The Prodigy’s Firestarter.

Tom Hardy plays Harry Da Souza, the Harrigans’ fixer, called in to clean up Eddie’s mess. But this is only the beginning. As the Harrigans – all of them unhinged, especially Conrad and his wife Maeve (Mirren) – plunge into a brutal gang war with rival Richie Stevenson (Geoff Bell), Harry’s workload only intensifies. The first season unfolds as a single, gripping narrative across ten episodes, chronicling this violent feud.

What sets MobLand apart is Maeve’s role: she’s far from the typical ‘gangster’s wife’. She’s a full-fledged partner in crime, her schemes and manipulations often outshining even her husband’s ruthlessness. Together, they’re the Macbeths of London’s underworld.

That said, the story doesn’t break much new ground. The show occasionally veers into the absurd, particularly in a Rambo-esque warehouse scene where Harry single-handedly takes out dozens of gangsters. There are plot twists and brutal murders – some land, others don’t. In a masterclass like The Sopranos, these elements feel organic. Here, they sometimes come across as a smokescreen for the lack of deeper substance, even if the series remains entertaining.

Another issue is the sheer savagery of the lead characters. They’re so cruel and unlikable that it’s hard to care about their fates. At times, I even found myself rooting for their downfall, which isn’t usually the point of a story told from one perspective.

The season ends with the introduction of a new female gang boss, Kat McAllister (Janet McTeer of Ozark fame), but she didn’t leave much of an impression on me. So, I’m not particularly hyped for Season 2.

Adding to the uncertainty, news broke this week that Tom Hardy has been fired from the show due to troublesome behavior, meaning fans will have to watch Season 3 without him.

Rating:

The Roaring Twenties (1939)

Posted on by Jeppe Kleijngeld


‘America’s Most Colorful Era!’

Directed by:
Raoul Walsh

Written by:
Jerry Wald (screenplay)
Richard Macaulay (screenplay)
Robert Rossen (screenplay)
Mark Hellinger (story)

Cast:
James Cagney (Eddie Bartlett), Priscilla Lane (Jean Sherman), Humphrey Bogart (George Hally), Gladys George (Panama Smith), Jeffrey Lynn (Lloyd Hart), Frank McHugh (Danny Green), Paul Kelly (Nick Brown), Elizabeth Risdon (Mrs. Sherman), Ed Keane (Henderson), Joe Sawyer (The Sergeant)

The Roaring Twenties opens in the immediate aftermath of World War I, as soldiers James Cagney and Humphrey Bogart return home in 1919. They find a nation grappling with economic hardship and rising living costs just as Prohibition is ratified, turning alcohol into both a forbidden fruit and a lucrative business opportunity.

The film follows Eddie Bartlett (Cagney), a former doughboy who seizes the moment and rises to power in the bootlegging underworld. Along the way, he reconnects with Jean Sherman, a woman he corresponded with during the war, securing her a singing job at a nightclub. His path eventually crosses again with his old comrade George Hally (Bogart), now a rival booze importer. Their partnership sours, and tensions escalate when they double-cross fellow bootlegger Nick Brown.

The movie by Raould Walch, who would ten years later make the best gangster film yet at that point – White Heat – is a trendsetter in more than one way. Walsh crafts The Roaring Twenties with a dynamic, almost documentary-like style. Crisp black-and-white cinematography is punctuated by newsreel-style interludes, lending the film an energetic, GoodFellas-esque rhythm. The story of the ‘working gangster’ feels like a clear influence on Scorsese, blending ambition, a jetset lifestyle, and eventually an ugly downfall.

Cagney delivers another magnetic performance as Eddie Bartlett, a character who begins as a mild-mannered entrepreneur, but grows increasingly volatile as his world unravels. What sets The Roaring Twenties apart is its focus on redemption: Eddie’s final act is a selfless one, driven by love rather than greed. It is a rare moral twist for the genre.

Like most gangster tales, it ends with a memorable line, this time spoken by a dame: “He used to be a big shot.”

Rating:

Quote:
EDDIE BARTLETT: “I just ran into a streak of bad luck, that’s all. I’ll be there on top again. I just got to figure out a new angle.”

Trivia:
Gladys George replaced Ann Sheridan (the female star of Cagney’s previous gangster film Angels with Dirty Faces) who had replaced Lee Patrick who had replaced Glenda Farrell for the character of Panama Smith.

Angels with Dirty Faces (1938)

Posted on by Jeppe Kleijngeld


‘The saga of America’s dirty faced kids… And the breaks that life won’t give them!’

Directed by:
Michael Curtiz

Written by:
John Wexley (screenplay)
Warren Duff (screenplay)
Rowland Brown (story)

Cast:
James Cagney (Rocky Sullivan), Pat O’Brien (Jerry Connolly), Humphrey Bogart (James Frazier), Ann Sheridan (Laury Ferguson), George Bancroft (Mac Keefer), Billy Halop (Soapy), Bobby Jordan (Swing), Leo Gorcey (Bim), Gabriel Dell (Pasty), Huntz Hall (Crab)

Angels with Dirty Faces brings together two screen legends – James Cagney and Humphrey Bogart – in a gangster film that transcends the genre. The chemistry between them is great.

Cagney stars as Rocky Sullivan, a tough kid sent to juvenile prison for petty theft who grows into a hardened criminal. Bogart plays his lawyer, Frazier, while Pat O’Brien portrays Jerry Connolly, Sullivan’s childhood friend turned priest. And the lovely Ann Sheridan stars as Laury, his childhood teasing target who becomes his trusted partner.

When Sullivan befriends a group of street kids who once robbed him, Connolly tries desperately to steer them away from a life of crime. Meanwhile, Frazier orchestrates a betrayal that adds a layer of moral complexity to the story.

Directed by Michael Curtiz (Casablanca), Angels with Dirty Faces feels less like a traditional gangster film (such as The Public Enemy or White Heat) and more like a sharp social commentary. The real focus isn’t just on Sullivan, but on the impressionable youth drawn into his orbit.

Still, it’s a powerful film with standout performances. Cagney’s portrayal of Sullivan foreshadows the unhinged mobster he’d later perfect in White Heat. His influence on the genre is undeniable. The film’s iconic ending remains just as gripping today.

A year later, Cagney and Bogart would reunite for another classic, The Roaring Twenties, but Angels with Dirty Faces stands on its own as a thought-provoking blend of crime and conscience.

Rating:

Quote
ROCKY SULLIVAN: “What do you hear, what do you say?”

Trivia
The scene where Rocky forces a reluctant henchman to take his place in the pharmacy’s phone booth – knowing it will cost him his life – was directly inspired by the real-life death of infamous New York gangster Vincent ‘Mad Dog’ Coll. During a brutal gang war with Dutch Schultz, Coll took refuge in an apartment above a pharmacy, venturing out only to use the phone booth inside to call his girlfriend. Schultz caught wind of this routine and seized the opportunity: when Coll entered the booth for his usual call, Schultz’s gunmen stormed in and fatally shot him.