Gangs of New York (1938)

★★★★★ · GREAT B-LISTER ! · Jonnie King · 2011-11-29

I've never been a big fan of Charles Bickford, nor have I ever been a big fan of "dual/twin identity" story lines... but both work out perfectly in this Crime/Melodrama B-Lister. I won't giveaway the plot, but there's enough of everything you'd want in a film of this genre'. One of my favorite "utility players" from the 30's-40's is Alan Baxter. Smooth, classy, a tad devious, sometimes sinister, a cold blooded killer, he was everything you'd want in an ensemble cast member. He could also take the lead as he did a number of times. In Baxter's early years he'd been a stage-trained actor...and…

★★★★ · Double take · picfixer · 2011-11-22

Entertaining second-feature gangster yarn with a farfetched plot and good cast - with one exception, wooden-faced Alan Baxter. Stars Charles Bickford in a dual role, supported by Ann Dvorak, Harold Huber, Slapsie Maxie Rosenbloom, Jonathan Hale, Maurice Cass and others. Good production values. A fast-paced, well-structured screenplay has look-alike cop Bickford standing in for a tough gang boss. Yeah, I know it's a stretch, but after all it's only a movie. The softish complete print has good video and audio. No missing frames. CAST NOTE: Diminutive Maurice Cass is probably best known for…

★ · This is a terrible, nasty story. · karl_winter · 2012-10-08

The “law”, that is in this case the police agent, the district attorney and the prison director, decide to lock away a convicted criminal in a secret cell. The plot is to plant a double, the police agent, in the gang to destroy them. The prison director has a hidden solitary cell behind a fake wall in his own office. There they put the criminal after he has served his time! This is presented as an adequate method to fight crime. If you ever had any doubts that extralegal punishment could be a way of “justice” in a formal democracy, here you have the proof. What is here shown is what happened…