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Little Caesar

Little Caesar

Drama · Crime · 1931

A small-time hood shoots his way to the top, but how long can he stay there?

Movie details

Little Caesar

“The Power-Mad Monarch of the Murder Mobs!”

1931 Drama · Crime 1h 18m

Critical arithmetic

One number, for now.

TMDB

6.9 / 10

Community rating

A small-time hood shoots his way to the top, but how long can he stay there?

CriticWise case file

What this film says about your taste.

Not a recommendation score. A measure of how closely the film’s taste signals resemble yours.

The archetype split

Who fights over Little Caesar?

The split comes from the same five-axis model used by the test, not audience ratings or review sentiment.

Taste neighbourhood

Nearby on the taste map.

TMDB supplies the candidates. CriticWise reorders them by craft, strangeness, prestige, emotion, and pace.

Cry of the City

Cry of the City

Crime · 1948

Petty crook and cop-killer Martin Rome, in bad shape from wounds in the hospital prison ward, still refuses to help slimy lawyer Niles clear his client by confessing to another crime. Police Lt. Candella must check Niles' allegation; a friend of the Rome family, he walks a tightrope between sentiment and cynicism. When Martin fears Candella will implicate his girlfriend Teena, he'll do anything to protect her. How many others will he drag down to disaster with him?

The Wrong Man

The Wrong Man

Crime · 1956

In 1953, an innocent man named Christopher Emmanuel "Manny" Balestrero is arrested after being mistaken for an armed robber.

The Outsiders

The Outsiders

Crime · 1983

In 1960s Tulsa, class divisions ignite a violent rivalry between the working-class Greasers and the privileged Socs. When a deadly encounter forces two Greasers, Ponyboy and Johnny, to flee, their struggle for survival and redemption exposes the fragile innocence and enduring bonds of youth on the wrong side of town.

The Public Enemy

The Public Enemy

Crime · 1931

Two young Chicago hoodlums, Tom Powers and Matt Doyle, rise up from their poverty-stricken slum life to become petty thieves, bootleggers and cold-blooded killers. But with street notoriety and newfound wealth, the duo feels the heat from the cops and rival gangsters both. Despite his ruthless criminal reputation, Tom tries to remain connected to his family, however, gang warfare and the need for revenge eventually pull him away.

The Asphalt Jungle

The Asphalt Jungle

Crime · 1950

Recently paroled from prison, legendary burglar "Doc" Riedenschneider, with funding from Alonzo Emmerich, a crooked lawyer, gathers a small group of veteran criminals together in the Midwest for a big jewel heist.

The Night of the Hunter

The Night of the Hunter

Crime · 1955

In Depression-era West Virginia, a serial-killing preacher hunts two young children who know the whereabouts of a stash of money.

House of Strangers

House of Strangers

Drama · 1949

Ruthless Italian-American banker Gino Monetti is engaged in a number of criminal activities. Three of his four grown sons refuse to help their father stay out of prison after he's arrested for his questionable business practices. Three of them take over the business but kick their father out. Max, a lawyer, is the only son that remains loyal.

Point Blank

Point Blank

Crime · 1967

After being double-crossed and left for dead, a mysterious man named Walker single-mindedly tries to retrieve the rather inconsequential sum of money that was stolen from him.

Odds Against Tomorrow

Odds Against Tomorrow

Crime · 1959

An old-time crook plans a heist. When one of his two partners is found out to be a black man tensions flare.

The Parts You Lose

The Parts You Lose

Drama · 2019

An unlikely friendship unfolds between a young deaf boy, Wesley, and a fugitive criminal who takes refuge in an abandoned barn on the family’s rural North Dakota farm.

Where it lives

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Names above the title

The people responsible.

Directed by

Mervyn LeRoy

Written by

Francis Edward Faragoh · Robert N. Lee

Edward G. Robinson

Edward G. Robinson

Caesar Enrico 'Rico' Bandello aka 'Little Caesar'

Douglas Fairbanks Jr.

Douglas Fairbanks Jr.

Joe Massara

Glenda Farrell

Glenda Farrell

Olga Stassoff

William Collier Jr.

William Collier Jr.

Tony Passa

Sidney Blackmer

Sidney Blackmer

Big Boy

Ralph Ince

Ralph Ince

Pete Montana

Thomas E. Jackson

Thomas E. Jackson

Sgt. Flaherty

Court is in session

Put Little Caesar on trial.

Two incompatible taste archetypes. One film. Read the arguments, then issue a completely binding cultural ruling.

The defence The Auteur Devotee

“Form is the argument.”

Every composed frame and deliberate cut is evidence that control can be thrilling in its own right.

The prosecution The Popcorn Loyalist

“Technique in search of a pulse.”

Immaculate construction is still construction. The film may be too busy proving its craft to feel alive.