This landmark gangster movie is strong stuff , being dominated by the tenacious acting of Rod Steiger as the gangster of the title who follows his way venomously to the top . Director Richard Wilson's body-strewn look at the feud between Al Capone , Bugs Moran , Johnny Torrio and other famous mobsters , but especially concerns the Rise And Fall Of History's Most Famous Gangster . Alfonso Caponi , Scarface , for a scar on his countenance and son from Italians immigrants . He's a youth comrade of Lucky Luciano and Johnny Torrio , both of whom are also from Napolitan origin . In this unusually accurate biography , small-time hood Al Capone (Rod Steiger) goes to Chicago at the dawn of Prohibition to be the bodyguard of Johnny Torrio (Nehemiah Persoff) . Capone's rise in Chicago Gangdom is strongly carried out by means of violence and murder , subsequently took place his fall .Torrio accompanied to Capone are going to Chicago but he is called by his uncle Jim Colosimo (Joe De Santis) . He's murdered and Torrio rules over as Chicago's crime boss , but during his violent confrontation to Dion O'Bannion he decided Capone managed the business . He becomes head of Chicago's biggest "business," and followed through killing corruption , extortion, and political fraud. Capone (born January 17, 1899 Brooklyn and deceased 1947) running his crime empire until FBI agents and police (James Gregory) worked to send the crime boss to prison. Al Capone's been convicted of tax evasion, but the law states that he can only be confined to a regular jail cell . And from there, he still runs his criminal empire. Michael Rourke, a government agent and Eliot Ness who are aware of this, seek to have him transfered to the newly open maximum security prison, Alcatraz, but nobody believes that this is necessary , but Capone moves inexorably toward his downfall and ignominious final .
This factual biography of gang lord Al Capone follows his rise and fall in Chicago gangdom during the Prohibition era. This is a violence-ridden story full of action, drama, thriller and pretty entertaining . The notorious gangster Al Capone being splendidly played by Rod Steiger who makes a good character study of one of the most colorful mobsters of the history . Steiger captures the special excitement or mood of paranoia on Capone role . This fast-moving mobster story heartkened back to the vintage years of tommy-gun thrillers at Warner Bros such as ¨Scarface¨ and ¨Pubic enemy¨ . In the film appears famous gangsters such as the racketeer Johnny Torrio well played by Nehemiah Persoff , George 'Bugs' Moran performed by Murvyn Vye , Dion O'Banion interpreted by Robert Gist , Tony Genaro performed by Al Ruscio and Big Jim Colosimo rightly acted by Joe De Santis . Fay Spain makes an appealing heroine , providing an elegant touch amid the 'macho'machine gun mayhem of the rest of the film . This picture is plenty of mayhem , strong stuff , drama and amount of gangland violence . Although sometimes takes a back seat to the real life and catches the imagination in the storyline . This fast-paced and entertaining film was well directed by Richard Wilson (Invitation a gunfighter , Three in Attic). Wilson was a previous associate of Orson Welles in the Mercury Theatre days and made another good Western as ¨Man with a gun¨, starring Robert Mitchum and ¨Zane Grey¨ episodes. Watchable results for this mobster movie .
Other films dealing with Al Capone are the following : The classic ¨Scarface ¨by Howard Hawks with Paul Muni ; ¨Scarface mob¨ by Phil Karlson with Robert Stack and Neville Brand ; ¨The St Valentine's Day Massacre¨(67) by Roger Corman with Jason Robards , Ralph Meeker , Jack Nicholson , Bruce Dern ; ¨Capone¨ by Steve Carver with Ben Gazzara and Susan Blakely , ¨The Untouchables¨ by Brian De Palma with Kevin Costner and Sean Connery . And TV series as ¨The Untouchables of Eliot Ness¨ with Robert Stack , Neville Brand and Keenan Wynn, and ¨The Untouchables¨ with Tom Amandes and William Forshyte .
