- Little Caesar is a primitive film, both by virtue of having been made early in the sound era and in the sense that it became a prototype for a whole host of gangster films to follow. The story portrays the rise and fall of Rico "Little Caesar" Bandello (Edward G. Robinson), in the process establishing a basic storyline used in most gangster films of the 30's and beyond (Goodfellas comes to mind as a modern antecedent). While Rico aspires to become the next "Diamond" Pete Montana in the mob, his friend Joe Massara (Douglas Fairbanks, Jr.) wants nothing more than to go legit. Of course leaving the mob is never as easy as it sounds, and Joe's struggle reflects yet another constantly repeated theme in classic gangster pictures.
- While much of Little Caesar is rather underwhelming compared to its legacy, Edward G. Robinson's performance is sufficiently impressive to redeem most of the film's shortcomings. Although still at the beginning of a distinguished career playing gangsters, bosses, and various other forms of bulldog, Robinson is already exactly the terrifically enjoyable actor he would remain for the rest of his life. Who but he could convincingly play a character who angrily spells his own name into a phone because he read an unflattering article about himself in the newspaper? While this may have been the end of Rico, I'm glad it wasn't the end of Robinson.
