ThiefHott Too much of everything

Noutions Good movie, but best of all time? Hardly . . .

Lightdeossk Captivating movie !

Maidexpl Entertaining from beginning to end, it maintains the spirit of the franchise while establishing it's own seal with a fun cast

Michael Thompson On the face of it, I was truly looking forward to seeing this movie because Rod Steiger is one of my all time favorite actors.But as the film progressed, I felt there was something wrong ?, something amiss ?, and then I realized that after seeing Rod Steiger in many films, I realized that there was nothing knew here as far as his acting was concerned, and I was left wondering if Rod Steiger had seen any footage of Al Capone in order to portray the gangsters character ?All in all I felt cheated by Rod Steiger's overall performance, because I felt he was simply being himself as in other roles.I would also suggest that another not so well known actor should have played the part, because Rod Steiger is a big name in the movie business and therefore his stature for me was bigger than the man he was supposed to be portraying.

Tom Groening Like so many mid-century biographical films, Al Capone marches through the man's life, giving equal weight to each way-point. It also fails miserably by providing no psychological or historical context for how he became one of crime's most notorious characters. In fact, the film succeeds in white-washing this killer. He woos the widow of one of his victims. He repeatedly makes the point that he's never been convicted of any crime. People die, but there is no depiction of Capone's ruthless, brutal side. Rod Steiger in the title role does an admirable job with the shallow script, but this is not enough to make the film worth watching. Oddly, there's no mention of Elliot Ness and when it comes to summing up Capone's end, we're told he died of "an incurable disease." What, audiences in 1959 couldn't handle the word "syphilis"?

dougdoepke Steiger delivers in spades, a really rousing performance in an otherwise underrated bio-pic. He's big Al Capone and, by golly, makes you believe it. After all, a bigger than life character needs a bigger than life portrayal. I love it when he leads his chorus of yes-men in the gangland boardroom. In fact, there are a number of memorable scenes— Hymie Weiss getting it on a deserted street; that final scene so perfect in its symbolism; and most any set-up with that fine, underrated actor Martin Balsam.Then too, director Wilson gets the most out of a budget production. For a longish run-time (over 100-min.'s), nothing is wasted, thanks to a tight script, effective staging, and efficient editing. Seems like the only fat is around Capone's middle where it should be. To me, Steiger's resemblance to the real Capone is remarkable. Excellent supporting cast too, especially Balsam's crooked reporter, a textbook in effortless acting. His low-key contrast to Steiger's florid style makes their scenes together doubly interesting. Also, there's that outstanding little actress Fay Spain who manages the near impossible—holding her own in scenes with the over-powering SteigerI may be wrong, but I believe the movie's success kicked off a spate of old-time gangster flicks, culminating with TV's smash hit The Untouchables (1959-1963). However, in my book, none are better than this juicy slice of thick ear, with a role Steiger was born to play.

Coxer99 Rod Steiger electrifies the screen in this dramatization of the famed gangster's life, which traces his rise from small time hood to larger than life crime boss. Better than any other film made about the legendary mob boss. Martin Balsam also co-stars.