With the rise of gangster pictures came the rise of the antihero. Though they were criminals who got what was they deserved, they were positioned directly in the spotlight and many felt a need to empathize or even feel a little sorry for them. Mostly thanks to Little Caesar (1931), this attitude led to a glamorization of the criminal that Hollywood has yet to abandon. Starring Edward G. Robinson, Douglas Fairbanks Jr., and Glenda Farrell, Little Caesar delivers the message that as cool as it looks, crime certainly doesn't pay.

Robinson stars in his most iconic role, that of two-bit thug Rico Bandello. He's tired of holding up gas stations for pocket change. He wants a bigger piece of the action, and he figures Chicago is where to find it. With friend and partner Joe Massara (Fairbanks) at his side, Rico proceeds to take the Windy City by storm, strong-arming his way to power and prominence in the underworld. Joe, however, rejects his pal's larcenous lifestyle and wants to get out of the racket. In the meantime, Rico's take-no-prisoners motto has made him a monster amongst his mobster brethren, not to mention earning the interest of the police. But as forcefully as he's risen through the ranks, down is the only way for someone of Rico's stature to plummet.

For generations weaned on films designed to assure souls as bizarre a demise as possible, Little Caesar is small potatoes. Even stacked up to what Scarface got away with in an era of content constraints, it's a tame picture, though not for the reasons you might think. The lack of bloodshed makes for a ride all the more effective. With little gunplay to hog screen time, Little Caesar devotes more of itself to the tragedy of Rico's criminal ways. It's the same idea behind half of all gangster movies ever made - a gangster fulfilling his twisted view of the American dream, though this one pulls it off with a touch of subtlety. Rico is a go-getter but he's no frothing psycho. With just a few words of dialogue and leery looks, he's established as a force of nature you do not want to cross.

Little Caesar isn't necessarily out to glorify the gangster but rather humanize it, to show that there's more there than just a guy with a gun. It's a film that depends on the success of its star, a task which the legendary Robinson more than completes. His role as Rico has turned into something of a joke in recent years, often imitated but never given its proper due. Robinson puts on a mighty good show, playing him not as a sneering villain but as a victim of his own wild ambitions (which the film's famous final line succinctly sums up). With only one stick-up job before delving into the man's thirst for power, Rico doesn't get enough development.

The remainder of the cast amounts to a rather bland succession of thugs. With Fairbanks as the lone beacon of purity even the cops are a little shifty, which does make for a more exciting show. They mostly struggle to stay afloat in the wake of Robinson's performance, which is every bit as skillful (if not more so) than Paul Muni as Tony Camonte.

As were most early pictures, Little Caesar isn't as polished as it might be. The pacing is a little wonky, the acting fairly stiff, and the story unabashedly melodramatic. But when it wants to be the film is as arresting as gangster pictures come, packing a punch not with rat-a-tat-tat theatrics but with a solid story any budding crime-buster can appreciate.

Director: Mervyn LeRoy

Writer: Francis Edwards Faragoh (based on a novel by W.R. Burnett)

Cast: Edward G. Robinson, Douglas Fairbanks Jr., Glenda Farrell, Stanley Fields, William Collier Jr.

Rating: No MPAA Rating (some violence)

Classic Movie Guide Rating: 3 stars out of 5

Run Time: 78 minutes

Studio: Warner Bros.

Format: Black-and-white, fullscreen

Photo credits: Warner Bros