The movie, Little Caesar, is Edward G. Robinson’s first starring role. He is the film, playing Caesar Enrico (Rico) Bandello. Little Caesar is the nickname given him by crime boss, Sam Vettori, (Stanley Fields). Rico is a small time hood, knocking off gas stations. He realizes this isn’t good enough. Rico goes to Chicago and pledges loyalty to Sam Vettori. When he is introduced to the gang, there is not much excitement. Mervyn Leroy has captured this lack of interest, in closeups.
Rico has also brought his best friend, Joe Massara, (Douglas Fairbanks Jr). He was tagging along when Rico was small time. Sam has come up with a major job for the gang. They are going to commit a series of robberies on New Year’s Eve. The criminals pull the jobs, but Rico kills the crime commissioner. This brings major pressure from law enforcement. this comes in the form of Sgt. Flaherty, (Thomas E. Jackson). He is always hounding Rico, knowing it’s only a matter of time, before he makes a mistake. Jackson is good in his role as pursuer.
Edward G. Robinson is the star of the movie. Douglas Fairbanks is good as Rico’s opposite. He has come to Chicago, to get money and help Rico. He realizes too late what a sociopath he is. After the New Year’s Eve heist, Joe Massara is tortured by his conscience. He wanders the streets, not wanting anything to do with criminals. Although disturbed by his friend’s disappearance, Rico continues on his criminal path. He manages to replace Sam Vittoti, by appealing to his gang’s greed. His demeanor and leadership also are factors. He is honored at a banquet, attended by the important figures in crime. Rico’s time in the spotlight, is interrupted by Sgt. Flaherty. He tells Rico he will arrest him in time. It leave Rico speechless and ruins the banquet.
Rico tries to convince his friend Joe to come back. He doesn’t want to. Rico wants to kill him but can’t. Rico’s friend, does, wounding him. This convinces Joe to go to the authorities, specifically Sgt. Flaherty. Rico goes on the run, and his empire crumbles. Flaherty tracks Rico down, and things don’t end well for him. There is a good contrast at the end. Rico suffers a criminal’s fate. Joe Massara’s picture is shown. He has found legitimate success, becoming a singer and dancer in movies, becoming a fictional Fred Astaire.
This movie, ushered in the popular gangster picture. They were grim portrayals of criminal life. They had a lot of violence, and the public fixation with gangsters, kept this genre going. They were a major problem during this time frame. Despite this movie, and others being well made, they were censored later. This was done by The Hayes commission. The level of violence was deemed too much. A few years after the release of Little Caesar, gangster movies were never the same.
Little Caesar remains to this day, a film of contrasts. It has Edward G. Robinson crafting an image, that remained until his death. Although he, along with James Cagney, were fine actors, the public liked their bad guy image. It creates a tortured soul with Joe Massara, realizing crime doesn’t pay. There is also the image of good, with the truth telling, hard hitting Sgt. Flaherty. The message of this film and many like it, was that crime doesn’t pay. Little Caesar is at it’s heart, a story of good and evil.