While Edward G Robinson is always one of my favorite actors, seeing him appear opposite other legends from the golden age of movies brings a new level of depth and enjoyability to an experience. This film has him playing his usual gangster image he was celebrated so much for, but with a sentimental twist. The movie starts during Prohibition, and a kingpin named Joe Krozac (Robinson) has just got back from Europe with his new wife Talya (Rose Stradner). She doesn't know about her husband's dark past. Some brothers named the Kiles have taken over some of Joe's areas while he was away, so he sends people to murder them. All but one are killed. Shortly after, Talya reveals she is going to have a child and Joe is ecstatic. However, the timing couldn't be any worse. Joe is arrested for tax evasion and sent to arguably the worst prison in the whole nation: Alcatraz Island. He must spend an entire decade behind bars and have his son grow up without him. He is visited in prison by Talya, who shows him his newborn son. For Krozac, there's no worse feeling in the world than being mere inches from his kid but not even being able to touch him. Soon, a reporter named Paul (Jimmy Stewart) takes a picture of Talya carrying Joe Krozac Jr and slips a gun into his hand. When the image later shows up in the papers, Talya is enraged and goes to the newspaper responsible, demanding the editor leave her and her son alone. Her request is refused, but Paul feels so bad about it that he resigns and begins to court Talya. The latter divorces Joe so she can be with Paul. Meanwhile, Joe has a grueling ten years in prison, consisting of beatings from other inmates who tease him about his former status, as well as the brutality of the guards. The next time Talya visits him, he notices the kid is absent, and Talya is very irritated looking. When Joe asks where his kid is, she responds he is not going to see him again as he is a bad influence. While Joe is forced to get to the end of his decade long sentence the hard way, Paul and Talya begin a new life with new names and move somewhere they think Joe won't find them. Eventually, the ten years go by and Paul learns that Joe is to be released from prison. When he is, the only thing on his mind is getting his son back and punishing his traitorous wife. Joe is approached by his old partner in crime, Curly, who wants him to take back control of his syndicate. It turns out to be a trap as Joe is beaten severely by numerous gangsters who want to know where he stashed all the money he had made before he was incarcerated. Joe refuses to talk until the gangsters somehow get ahold of his son, now named Paul Jr. Joe gives the thugs the location of the cash, and they go steal it for themselves. Their success proves to be short lived as the cops ambush them and gun them all down, but because Joe wasn't with them, he survives and takes back his kid. Paul Jr tells his father that he doesn't look anything like his father, and keeps referencing cool and resourceful outdoor things Paul taught him to do, greatly angering Joe. All he wants is for his son to believe he's his real father, but it doesn't happen. Joe decides to lead Paul Jr to his house and at long last comes back into the life of Talya. Sensing that it's hopeless trying to get his son to like him as he was raised by a stranger, Joe leaves the house, dejected. He is confronted by Acey, the lone Kile brother whose siblings were murdered by Joe's affiliates. Acey tells Joe that he is planning to tell the papers who Paul Jr's dad really is so his reputation will be destroyed before he enters adulthood, and Acey will shoot Joe to prevent him from interfering. In a final act of defiance, Joe charges at Acey, gets shot, but manages to turn the gun on his enemy and kill him. Joe then collapses and dies, and a medal his son gave him earlier can be seen in his palm. The backside of it reads "for outstanding achievement." This is a pretty sad but also uplifting movie, as Robinson plays one of his most unique roles I've yet seen from him. Most people are only familiar with his gangster persona, and while this film fits into that category, it's only half his character. He shows how a child means the world to a parent, and even though his son refuses to accept him as his true dad, he cares for him anyway. In the end, it gets him killed, and Paul Jr still most likely thinks he was a creepy old stranger, but Joe dies in peace knowing he saved his son from a potentially fatal situation involving gangs. It was strange seeing Jimmy Stewart in a Robinson film, as typically he's playing someone likeable, but taking Robinson's wife from him is unforgivable. No doubt one of the worst aspects of being in prison is not even being able to prevent your partner from cheating on you. Overall, I think this movie is better than most people will say, since it shows a side of Robinson that wasn't displayed in many of his pictures. It's sadder when you realize Robinson's real life son Manny was a chronic drunk who committed suicide.
Review of The Last Gangster
