Al Capone (1959)

Pretty good movie overall. First half was nothing special but it got better as it went along.

I think this is a new genre that they're all sort of working their way through it and haven't got all the kinks worked out yet but it's a genre that works for me.

Through painfully honest and emotional moments, the movie becomes irresistibly relatable

This is one of the best movies I’ve seen in a very long time. You have to go and see this on the big screen.

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.

I first saw this film during its initial release in 1959. I found it fascinating and it led to my interest in gangsters. It was many years later that I began to not just see movie gangsters but to read about them. Al Capone was my first read and that is where the problems began for me with this movie. Most of this film is based on fact, though over-the-top, and acted very well, especially Steiger's performance. My beef is with the portrayal of Al Capone's wife, played by Faye Spain. Capone's real wife, Mary Coughlin, called Mae by everyone, was a loving wife and mother. Almost everything in this film's portrayal of Capone's "wife" is false. Mae loved her husband, his philandering notwithstanding. She remained a faithful and loving wife until his death. The makers of this film, in their zeal to show Capone as an evil person, go too far.

This 1959 factual biography of gang lord Al Capone follows his rise and fall in Chicago gangdom during the Prohibition era. It stars one of my favorite actors of all time Rod Steiger, in an all out tour-de-force. After seeing this excellent gangster movie a long time ago, there has been no actor in any Al Capone role, that has came close to this film by Steiger. He is brutal to see the least, and his rise to power in Chicago is amazing to see, because it is based on true events. Great film, even after all these years Steiger is truly amazing as Capone. Be sure and catch this on DVD, the transfer is exceptional. No extras, but it's well worth watching.

This 1959 picture is yet another cinematic retelling of the life of mobster Al Capone, and is better than most I've seen. Rod Steiger as Big Al seems miscast at first but wins me over in the end. Steiger was a born ham, but a fine actor for all his Methodish mannerisms, and has moments in the movie in which he's almost hypnotically effective. Yes, it's a performance, I kept on telling myself, but so was Capone himself. Over the top, perhaps, but Capone was himself more than a little touched, and Steiger nails this aspect of Capone to perfection, and is more effective in capturing the big guy's capriciousness than Robinson or Muni before him. Steiger's Capone isn't merely a gangster, he's a man possessed. Director Richard Wilson's keeps this fairly modestly budgeted film moving at a fast pace, and it's never boring. In supporting roles, Fay Spain, Martin Balasm, James Gregory and Nehemiah Persoff are all effective. The black and white of this film evokes the late fifties more than the roaring twenties, and the movie at times feels a little like an episode of The Untouchables, at other times like Some Like It Hot. The Jazz Age was itself hot as the Eisenhower era was drawing to a close. F. Scott Fitzgerald's novels were coming back into vogue. O'Neill revivals on and off-Broadway were becoming commonplace. Al Capone captures this nostalgic mood, but really makes me nostalgic for the fifties more than for the twenties, for a time when fairly recent history could still be viewed as larger than life, the stuff of serious art and contemplation, not just fashionable nostalgia. Al Capone the movie is more nostalgia than serious art, but it touches on important issues, concerning violence, friendship, the role of government and the press as they pertain to and often collude with the criminal element, that still resonate today.