Main Cast: Ben Gazzara, Susan Blakely, Harry Guardino, John Cassavetes, Sylvester Stallone
Release Year: 1975
Country: US
Run Time: 101 minutes
MPAA Rating: R
Plot
Ben Gazzara stars in this low-level depiction of legendary gangster Al Capone, who rose to command the mob underworld in 1920's Chicago. Born in Brooklyn, Capone joins his first gang at the age of 11. From there, he graduates to the infamous "Five Points Gang" run by Johnny Torrio (Harry Guardino). After moving to Chicago a few years later and wiping out Torrio's crimeboss uncle, Capone becomes Torrio's right hand man. Capone becomes head of the area's prostitution and racketeering business, but, as his mind deteriorates from syphillis, so does his empire. There's not much to recommend here, aside from a surprisingly good appearance by Sylvester Stallone as fellow gangster Frank Nitti. Gazzara is frankly awful in the title role and producer Roger Corman uses stock shootout footage from other gangster films, including footage of the St. Valentine's Day Massacre from his own, earlier movie on the subject. ~ Don Kaye, All Movie Guide
Review
This entry into the 1970's cycle of gangster films is entertaining -- but often for the wrong reasons. Howard Browne's script piles on characters and incidents but this density of narrative fails to disguise how derivative and familiar its "rise and fall of a mobster" storyline is. It doesn't help that the script will offend many crime buffs because it mangles the chronology of the events it presents and also creates a number of events that never occurred. Director Steve Carver's work is competent but impersonal, lending little flair or inspiration to the material. Ben Gazzara puts on an impressive display of acting pyrotechnics in the lead role but goes so far over the top that his work descends into pure camp spectacle. That said, his theatrics often prop up the weak material here so it's a trade-off. The best performances come from the supporting players: Susan Blakely is alluring as Capone's uninhibited party-girl moll, Dick Miller is amusing as a crooked cop angling for some of Capone's money and a young Sylvester Stallone delivers a nice, understated turn as Capone's right-hand man Frank Nitti. In short, Capone is a humdrum quickie that offers more camp laughs than it does gangster thrills. It is best left to genre completists. ~ Donald Guarisco, All Movie Guide
Peter Maloney - Jake Guzik; Frank Campanella - Big Jim Colosimo; John Chandler - Hymie Weiss; John Orchard - Dion O'Banion; Mario Gallo - Aiello; Russ Marin - Stenson; Jack Ackerman - Adam Heyer; Carmen Argenziano - Jack McGurn; Vincent Barbi - Solly; George Chandler - Prosecutor; Bert Conway - Frank Loesch; Royal Dano - Mayor Anton Cermak; Charles Beach Dickerson - Joe Kepka; Carmen Filpi - Waiter; John Finnegan - NY Police Lieutenant; Tony Giorgio - Antonio Lombardo; Redmond Gleeson - NY Cop #2; Angelo Grisanti - Angelo Genna; Ralph James - Judge J.H. Wilkerson; Martin Kove - Pete Gusenberg; John Martino - Tony Amatto; Dick Miller - Joe Pryor; Jack O'Leary - Pool Hall Owner; Robert Phillips - Bugs Moran; Don Pulford - William Cooper; Tony Curtis; Don McGovern - NY Cop #1; Pamela Toll - Mrs. Atkins; Benny Marino - Frank Gusenberg; James Sweeney - Prison Doctor
Credit
Ward Preston - Art Director, John C. Broderick - Associate Producer, Eugene Mazzola - First Assistant Director, Steve Carver - Director, Richard Meyer - Editor, David Grisman - Composer (Music Score), Maurice Stein - Makeup, Vilis Lapenieks - Cinematographer, Roger Corman - Producer, Ned Parsons - Set Designer, Roger George - Special Effects, Gene Corso - Special Effects, Bob Gravenor - Sound/Sound Designer, Charlie Picerni - Stunts Coordinator, Howard Browne - Screenwriter
Capone (1975) is an American crime film directed by Steve Carver and the film stars Ben Gazzara, Harry Guardino, Susan Blakely and an early film role for Sylvester Stallone. The movie is a biography of the infamous Al Capone, although much of it is supposedly fiction.
Plot
The story of the rise and fall of the infamous Chicago gangster Al Capone and the control he exhibited over the city during the prohibition years.
Reception
The movie received mixed reviews due to the graphic nature of the film, including full frontal female nudity, and the fabricated life of Al Capone.
