Die Ratten von Detroit

"The Purple Gang" is a film that is enjoyable to watch--much like an episode of "The Untouchables". However, like that television show, it's not much of a history lesson and the actions of the real Purple Gang in Detroit were very, very different than what you see in the film. In fact, you'd hardly recognize much of the gang in this one.

In real life, the Purple Gang was a tough organization in Detroit consisting mostly of Jewish gangsters. The gang was run by several brothers as well. And, the end of the gang was nothing like in the film. Yet, in the film they are run by one guy alone (Robert Blake) and the actors all seem like typical antisocial Gentiles.

So why, despite being mostly wrong, do I score this one a 6? Well, it's exciting and as long as you accept that it's mostly fiction, you'll have a nice time watching the film. It never is dull!

Cheapo production. This is supposed to be the 1920s, but there is no attempt to use costumes or hair styles of that era. The men all wear 1950s hats. Robert Blake plays tough as the juvenile gang leader. Barry Sullivan walks through his part as the detective as though he wanted to be somewhere else. His wife,of course, wants him to quit. The gang looks like a Central Casting call for B-list juveniles. As clean and nice looking a bunch of hoodlums as can be imagined. If they could dance they would be ready for West Side Story. The sets are unadorned and look like they were assembled in somebody's garage. There is a lot of unconvincing gunplay and actors falling to the floor, but no blood.

As I have already told many many times in my reviews, the early sixties in Hollywood was the era where gangsters period crime biopics were gallore, more or less inspired from actual facts though: PORTRAIT OF A MOBSTER, PAY OR DIE, MURDER INC, RISE AND FALL OF LEGS DIAMOND, KING OF THE ROARING 20'S, BABY FACE NELSON, YOUNG DILLIGER, AL CAPONE, MAD DOG CALL. Only "mature" Dillinger's character was missing between a 1945 and 1973 movie !!!! This one is not the least in terms of quality, yes, 1961 was the year of this kind of gangster tales, maybe the TV series THE UNTOUCHABLES influenced this period. I am dead sure of it. Robert Blake as here as John Davis Chandler was in MAD DOG CALL; purely terrific as a cold blooded killer. It begins like a DEAD END KIDS flick but the pace rapidly changes. Frank Mac Donald's best film for me, because he was rather a lousy director. Mostly B westerns for B companies.

This opens with a suit talking to the audience. The Purple Gang operated in Detroit during the late 20's and early 30's. They started out as bootleggers with Canadian liquor and quickly spread to all kinds of other crimes. The story begins with a teen gang called Purple led by William Joseph 'Honeyboy' Willard (Robert Blake). Police Lt. William P. Harley (Barry Sullivan) is assigned to clean it up. The kids take on the established mob and become their muscle. This launches them as the most violent criminals in the city.

I don't like the "Crime Does Not Pay" start. That takes this movie down to a B-short series. I also don't like them using a social worker as the foil. They could have used a lawyer, but they're trying to take down the bleeding heart liberal in a heavy handed way. The most interesting aspect of this is seeing Robert Blake. He's good, but that's about it.

During this period of the late Eisenhower and Kennedy years many studios started making films of the notorious Prohibition and post Prohibition years. No coincidence that these were the years The Untouchables found a TV audience.

In 1959 Allied Artists put out the Purple Gang who were as rough a bunch in real life as any. When Al Capone tried to take over their Detroit territory the Purples sent Capone back limping to Chicago.

Allied Artists was the former Monogram Pictures so you knew it was going to be cheap. It certainly is a B product.

But it boasts an eletrifying performance by Robert Blake as the leader of the Purples. For that alone you should not miss this film.

But it ain't the real story of The Purple Gang.