The Last Gangster: A bitter pill of a movie

Is it worth your time?

If you like old-school crime flicks where the protagonist is actually, genuinely unlikable, you'll probably dig this. It’s not a fun romp. If you need a movie with a hero you can root for, stay far away. This one is for the folks who want to watch a guy slowly lose everything while being his own worst enemy.

Edward G. Robinson is the whole show here. He plays Joe Krozac like a man made of stone who realizes, way too late, that stone cracks. There’s this one scene in the prison yard where he just stands there, watching the sunlight hit the wall, and you can see him aging in real-time. It’s haunting stuff.

The whole 'gangster behind bars' trope usually gets played out for sympathy, but not here. They don't try to make him a saint. He’s mean, he’s possessive, and he’s incredibly entitled. When he finally gets out, the world has moved on, and he reacts like a toddler throwing a tantrum with a Tommy gun.

James Stewart shows up, and honestly, it’s a bit weird seeing him in this context. He’s fine, but he feels like he wandered in from a different movie, maybe something like Hula or just a softer picture. He doesn't quite have the edge needed to stand up to Robinson's sheer screen presence.

The pacing is a bit of a mess, honestly. The first half moves like a rocket, and then we just spend forever in the domestic misery of the second half. It gets heavy. Like, 'need-a-drink-after-watching' heavy.

• The lighting in the prison scenes is top-tier noir.
• The kid acting is... well, it's very 1930s. Don't expect much.
• The dialogue is sharp enough to cut yourself on.

There’s a moment near the end—I won't spoil it—but the way he looks at his kid for the last time is just brutal. It’s not cinematic or poetic; it’s just sad. It reminded me a bit of the raw feeling in Pay Day, that same sense of a life being completely wasted.

It’s not a perfect film. Sometimes it feels like it’s trying to teach you a lesson, and I hate when movies do that. But when it just lets Robinson be a monster, it’s pretty great. 🚬