Little Caesar

One of those films I'm sure Scorsese adores. It's one of the early talkies, and boy do they talk a lot. The plot isn't all that interesting and acts more like a blueprint for future crime flicks. The focus is the characters, but they are such big clichés (and annoying once at that), that there wasn't much to like for me.

Rico's big dream is to become a powerful criminal, but he has to start all the way at the bottom. First, he joins a gang, where he works himself up and goes after his boss' position. Once he is in charge of the gang, he dreams bigger and wants to chase out all the other gangs in the city.

The cinematography is pretty basic and the plot's a downright bore. It really boils down to the characters, and they're the kind I've grown to dislike (by watching too many Scorsese crime flicks, ironically). The film's only saving grace is that it's pretty short and well-paced, sadly, there isn't a lot to save.