I had a classic gangster film binge, so I figured I'd share my thoughts on the films I watched for it.
Little Caesar (1931) - 6/10
My experience with this film was feeling as if I was watching a historical document rather than feeling it in my pores. Rico's arc, though unique when it came out, is pretty standard nowadays as the genre elements it features are pretty bare bones by today's standards and their impacts were drastically lessened over time. In addition, the most interesting character in the film, Joe Massara, was largely pushed to the sideline throughout the film and got much less screen time than Rico, a move which further distanced myself from the characters. If anything, this film is worth watching for Edward G. Robinson's performance. I normally don't pay attention to acting, but I really appreciated the charisma he showed in his role. Watching him was sometimes the only thing which kept me entertained. It's also worth watching as a historical document, as mentioned above. Several elements of this film - ambitious gangster trying to control all the gangs in the city - lead character becoming boss of his gang - hostile takeovers of rival gangs - people not associated with the gang being negatively effected by it - the law trying to close in on the gang - were pioneered by this film and its influence can be felt all throughout the genre, so I appreciate it for its impact. While this film laid a rough template for the genre, I think other films went on to perfect upon that template.
Scarface (1932) - 9/10
It would be fair to criticize this film for some of what I criticized Little Caesar for. Like LeRoy's film, both films are, essentially, smorgasbord's of the same genre elements that the genre would perfect later on (lead gangster trying to achieve control, becoming boss, hostile takeovers, negative effects on people not in the gang, the law force on their trail). What differentiates these two films for me though is Hawks' film is able to find its own unique voice to represent these elements with. The style of the film has a lot of similarities to German Expressionism as it bursts with unconventional tracking shots, evocative shadow effects, its usage of lighting in darkened areas, or the stylistic editing found in montages. This style also extends to the actors themselves as the later degradations of Tony's character arc are represented by his tattered clothing and disheveled hair. The violence was fairly shocking when this film was released, with an uncharacteristically large body count (again, for the time), a few scenes of several people being killed at once, and some dead bodies falling/being ejected out of cars. Though the violence is tame by today's standards, the arrangement of the people/objects involved in the violent scenes still packed quite a punch, like the aforementioned shadow effects, the bowling alley, a few scenes in the final act, etc. Overall, the style of this film was distinct and impressive enough that I didn't mind the similarities its plot had to Little Caesar one bit. I was sold by the film's look and feel.
The Public Enemy (1931) - 8/10
A common thing I'm noticing about gangster films from this time period is that they can be more interesting as historical document than as interesting and compelling stories. I loved the feel of Scarface and connected to it really well, but I had my issues with Little Caesar. I'd say this film falls somewhere in the middle of those two films. While watching it, I found myself less taken in by the gangster elements of it (though, I still enjoyed them) and more impressed by the way Matt and, especially, Tom's participation in Paddy Ryan's gang had on their lives. Tom not only experienced conflict with his various romantic partners, but also with his straight-laced brother Mike, who disapproved of both his lifestyle and how he lied to his mother about how he obtained money. His mother, misinformed about Tom's involvement in Ryan's gang, was confused and saddened by Mike's disapproval of Tom, further representing how their family was torn apart. I also appreciated the gang elements quite a bit such as the first act's depiction of Tom's and Matt's rise as gangsters, the visually impressive shootout in the rain, or the final minute (even though I saw it coming). I still appreciated the family drama bits the most and some of the gang-related scenes didn't matter much to me, but I still appreciated some of the imagery in those sequences. Overall, this film was pretty solid.