Did you like "THE GANGSTER"?

[FredCDobbs]

I liked it, but it certainly was depressing.. Seems that nearly everyone in the film was in trouble and either got killed or were arrested at the end.

[FredCDobbs]

Shubunka: [to Dorothy] You understood nothing. You're sweet, lovely, and good. You're also very young. Pay for my sins? You know what my sins were? I'll tell you. That I wasn't rotten enough. I wasn't mean and low and dirty enough. That's right, I should have smahed Cornell first. I should have hounded Jammy, kept after him, killed him myself. I should have trusted no one, never had a friend. I should have never loved a woman. That's the way the world is. Wait, live, find out yourself that's the way you have to be... the only way!

[film lover 293]

Yes, I liked it--one of the possibilities of Noir is an unhappy ending, & TG certainly fulfilled that.  I looked at it also as a film made by a low grade studio (to put it politely), & a marvelous film was made on almost no budget, with unknowns (acting wise, director wise, etc.) & everything worked. A happy accident?  I don't know--but I did like the film.

[JamesJazGuitar]

Yes, I liked it--one of the possibilities of Noir is an unhappy ending, & TG certainly fulfilled that.  I looked at it also as a film made by a low grade studio (to put it politely), & a marvelous film was made on almost no budget, with unknowns (acting wise, director wise, etc.) & everything worked. A happy accident?  I don't know--but I did like the film.

 

There are many things I enjoyed about the film and the producers did a good job with what they had, budget wise.   But there were too many scenes where the actors were advised to play their part as if that scene was the final scene in a 3 act play.    That type of dramatic built up used as often as it was in this film,  just didn't work.    

[NipkowDisc]

There are many things I enjoyed about the film and the producers did a good job with what they had, budget wise.   But there were too many scenes where the actors were advised to play their part as if that scene was the final scene in a 3 act play.    That type of dramatic built up used as often as it was in this film,  just didn't work.    

Barry Sullivan waiting to get shot down like a dog...brilliant?  ...

 

but that summer evening thunderstorm on the boardwalk was certainly atmospheric.

[scsu1975]

 Seems that nearly everyone in the film was in trouble and either got killed or were arrested at the end.

We call that a family reunion.

[Kay]

Wasn't crazy about it, and that quote Fred posted from Shubunka pretty much sums up why. He was a pretty disappointing gangster. Seems like a lot of his low-down dirtiness had to be assumed, because I never gathered exactly where he stood or why everyone felt like they did about him- like maybe the writers meant it more as an allegory on gangsters who were more well-defined in other movies?

 

Or maybe something was lost on me.

 

I watched it for the cast- a couple of my favorite character actors, Akim Tamiroff and Elisha Cook, Jr. (who should have had a bigger part!)

[JamesJazGuitar]

Wasn't crazy about it, and that quote Fred posted from Shubunka pretty much sums up why. He was a pretty disappointing gangster. Seems like a lot of his low-down dirtiness had to be assumed, because I never gathered exactly where he stood or why everyone felt like they did about him- like maybe the writers meant it more as an allegory on gangsters who were more well-defined in other movies?

 

Or maybe something was lost on me.

 

I watched it for the cast- a couple of my favorite character actors, Akim Tamiroff and Elisha Cook, Jr. (who should have had a bigger part!)

 

With a title like The Gangster and the popularity of the 30s gangster films I assume the producers assumed audience members would assume Shubunka was the type of gangsters like Cagney\E.G. Robinson\Muni in Warner Brothers movies.    (so I'm saying your 'allegory on gangsters' is on target).

 

One interesting scene was with the new type of gangster played by Sheldon Leonard.     The contrast between the old style gangsters and the new mob was a noir theme in movies like The Racket and The Big Heat as well.       

[LornaHansonForbes]

SHUBUNKA!

 

Okay. Now I get it.

 

I kept thinking they were saying "Chewbacca" and Akim Tamirioff kept saying it like "Chipotle."

 

Yeah, I didn't like it- and mainly because Barry Sullivan did not have the chops to pull off a role this deep- of course, I've never seen him in anything where he rose above the equivalent of a Rent-A-Center George Brent; and the talking bottle of peroxide he was playing opposite wasn't much help when it came to delivering some charisma to the proceedings.

 

It is always fun watching Akim Tamiroff though; and he is one of those actors who just personifies noir.

 

but Akim alone is not enough and the whole thing was no better than meh.

[Mr. Gorman]

Q:  Did you like "The Gangster"? 

 

A:  Yes 

[TheGayDivorcee]

I liked it.  There was something about the forlorn little shops and cafes at the beach, Barry Sullivan's character's obsession with Joan Loring's character, the low budget look (it had more atmosphere than some slicker noirs), the supporting cast (always a treat to see Sheldon Leonard in anything), Loring's character's betrayal--I was strangely moved by it all, and felt sad at the end.