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I'm not convinced that we're seeing a straight-forward crime story with THE GANGSTER. It's practically an opium dream. He goes to the beach in a suit and tie and Elisha Cook comes along with a cohort and Cook keeps yapping about how he's going to knock Sullivan down - the 12-inch disparity in height makes this laughable.

Shubunka, Jammey, Karty - these names are so precious. Note the stylized sets - the hotel just off the boardwalk that seems about six-feet deep, it stops at the boardwalk. Yet when he runs into the lobby, it's as big as The Waldorf.

Shubunka, the gangster with no gang. He apparently gets his mob from Rent-A-Hood and when he tries to recruit, the potential members all laugh at him. He's big time, but has no money to afford out-of-town hoods. Sheldon Leonard anticipates his every move, yet he needs some silly list of Shubunka's operations. If Shubunka has all of those businesses under his control, why is he in the ice cream parlor all day?

Belita thinks she's a dancer, Ireland has a system to beat the races but he's in dutch with the mob - apparently Shubunka doesn't have the gambling concession on the boardwalk so Ireland goes to him for the money he owes since his fool-proof plan didn't work. Harry Morgan thinks he a stud and Fifi D'Orsay thinks she's a Goddess. The only one who knows his place is Tamiroff and he's smart enough to be scared but too dumb to have cut his ties with Shubunka sooner.

Lest you think I'm being negative, I'm not. It all seems as if Sullivan is hallucinating about his life and all of the characters are exaggerated, including himself. It's fascinating to watch.

After the 1946 success of their million dollar musical noir SUSPENSE Monogram and their A grade production name ALLIED ARTISTS repeated their Barry Sullivan and Belita pairing plus many excellent sets and camera angles in a truly strange crime drama THE GANGSTER. Typical of their urban style and effort to make socially arresting films (BLACK GOLD, HIGH TIDE, and later PHENIX CITY STORY)I find I am quite haunted by this grim and emotional portrayal of a doomed big shot draining mentally and emotionally in his seaside square mile of crummy crim competition. It is almost as if everyone in this film acts as though he is sure they are trying to cause him to have a mental breakdown. Sullivan is a career criminal on the very edge of insanity brought on by just a plain lousy life of struggle, arguing and ratty behavior. His affair with the incredibly gorgeous Belita (of skating fame) is racked with his paranoia and melancholy at best. It is as if his falling in love with her is causing his mind to unravel and local thugs know it. THE GANGSTER is a very well made film and genuinely emotionally interesting. It is NOT as the title suggests, a 'gangster film' however it is quite a sad and tortured tale depicting the tragic shattering in slow motion of a big man's heart and mind as he realizes (or just thinks that) his world is crumbling. The scenes at the beach promenade with Belita dressed all in white offer the viewer genuine beauty. She is sublimely dressed and photographed all through this handsome film. In fact she reminded me of a young Gertrude Lawrence: Belita was British and a champion skater at a young age throughout the UK before coming to Monogram when only about 19 years old. She just died, in 2006 at about 82 years old. Barry Sullivan is a revelation. THE GANGSTER is one of the most interesting psychological dramas made, given that it is set within his mind, hence the fake looking world he inhabits (stylised sets etc). He has fallen in love and knows he doesn't deserve it or control it, thus causing emotional fright and mental collapse. What a topic! Good movie, this!

A big fish in a small pond finds his little world crumbling around him when a bigger fish swims into town. Opening with a monologue so misanthropic it could have been penned by Travis Bickle, this is a brutal and cynical film. Allied Artists reunited the stars of Suspense, Barry Sullivan and Belita, and the results are an improvement. Sullivan is cold and paranoid as the titular character, completely without trust or sympathy in anyone around him. Belita doesn't get to do any ice-skating this time around, but she is very good as his long-suffering gal, her devotion and sincerity eventually beaten down by his suspicions. I said earlier that I was looking forward to more of Joan Lorring, and I was glad to see her here. She doesn't get a whole lot of screen time, but she has a wonderful part to play in the end. There's a couple of subplots to consider. John Ireland is a desperate gambler whose story hooks into Sullivan's at a crucial point. The part with Harry Morgan as a self-imagined Romeo is a bit more superfluous but provide some nice character moments. Also some fine supporting bits by noir regulars Elisha Cook, Charles McGraw and Sheldon Leonard (and a blink-and-you'll-miss-it appearance by Shelley Winters). The Louis Gruenberg score is occasionally overwhelming but mostly superb. And Paul Ivano's cinematography makes the most of the often cheap-looking sets, a lot of beautiful stylization, especially in the rain-soaked opening and closing sequences. Perhaps a little too self-conscious and stagy at times, but a very well-done, gloomy and sometimes poetic film.

Smalltime gangster feels heat of competition, while romancing showgirl.

The most interesting thing about this crime drama are the visuals. Director Wiles goes all out with the stylized sets—the beachfront, the elevated train, the complex interiors, et al. I guess that's not surprising given his background as an art director. Apparently the King Brothers let him do pretty much what he wanted even on the small budget. The result is arty, but interesting. Then too, maybe you can take those stylized sets as mirroring Shubunka's inner state since he seems not too far from the nuthouse to begin with.

Sullivan certainly looks the gangster part. With his high cheekbones and gimlet eyes, he's scary even without the big scar. Plus, he's about as cold and animated as a block of ice. Sullivan's a fine actor so that is no accident, but the characterization seems too extreme to involve us in his fate. On the other hand, Loring's semi-pretty working girl comes across well, as does Belita's glamour girl with her odd facial resemblance to noir icon Gloria Grahame.

Like another reviewer, I'm a bit stumped by the seemingly unnecessary subplot with Morgan and D'Orsay. At first I thought the producers probably owed D'Orsay something so she got a tacked-on part. But then I noticed a parallel between Morgan's narcissistic Lothario and Sullivan's narcissistic gangster. Each appears imprisoned by his own limitations. Notice too that Morgan appears trapped by a jail-like fence following D'Orsay' rejection, a possible foreshadowing of Sullivan's downfall. Anyway, it's a thought.

But what I really like about the script is how Sullivan's indifference toward Ireland's desperate gambler brings about his own end— a nicely ironic touch. Also, note how the entrepreneurial criminal operations are tied in with corruption at higher levels of politics and big money. That seems unsurprising since both screenwriter Fuchs and the uncredited Trumbo were later blacklisted. In fact, noir appears the favorite genre of many leftist screenwriters, perhaps because of the potential for unhappy endings in a capitalist society.

Nonetheless, the movie as a whole comes across more as an object of contemplation than of audience immersion, but certainly continues to have its points of interest.

Here's a film I wish I could see again, even though it's a little too slow and talky for my tastes. It still was very interesting in spots.

Barry Sullivan and Belita both provide some great film-noir lines and the photography is pure film noir. Henry Morgan has interesting part although his role is minor and Sheldon Leonard (with hair) is notable. The only character who became annoying was Akim Tamiroff, as the scared soda shop owner.

The story, though, centers around Sullivan, who plays a man who doesn't trust anyone but would really like to find a woman he could trust. His outlook on humanity is brutal. It's so bad, it's almost funny. He reminded me of Lawrence Tierney in "Born To Kill."

This movie is an odd combination of film noir, melodrama and character study and is worth checking out, if you can find it.

Belying the promise of tommyguns and bootleg hooch implied in its title, The Gangster instead unfolds as a patch of doomed urban poetry. Its script, by Daniel Fuchs from his novel Low Company (with, it's said, a hand from Dalton Trumbo), looks down loftily and detachedly at a handful of "little" people in a day-trippers' seaside resort way out in Brooklyn. Each character is a gear meshing precisely with other gears in a clockwork plot perhaps better suited to footlights than the kick-lights of film noir.

But its milieu and aspirations remain decidedly -- ostentatiously -- noir, from the baroque, shadowed ironwork of the El to the nighttime cloudbursts over the littered pavements. A soda fountain serves as the drama's central "set" into which self-styled racket kingpin Barry Sullivan frequently drops to flash his cufflinks. He's unable to confront the fact that his tiny crime empire is under siege and crumbling; he's too obsessed with his stage-struck mistress (Belita). Blind with jealousy and bloated with delusions of his invulnerability, he drifts impassively, almost catatonically, toward the fate that's already been meted out for him (the dramaturgy brings to mind Periclean Athens or Elizabethan London).

An unusually starry cast of noir players inhabits The Gangster, many in no more than walk-ons. Among them: Akim Tamiroff as the drugstore proprietor and Sullivan's partner; Harry Morgan as a soda jerk and Joan Lorring as cashier; Fifi D'Orsay, in an inexplicable role; John Ireland and Virginia Christine as a compulsive gambler and his despairing wife; Sheldon Leonard as Sullivan's predatory nemesis; Elisha Cook, Jr. and Charles McGraw as (what else?) thugs; even an uncredited Shelley Winters, fixing her face.

Plainly, there's a lot to admire in The Gangster, from the stagily constructed neighborhood to Louis Gruenman's melodramatic score. The trouble is that all the admirable bits and pieces don't quite jell into the organic flow of vital cinema, and the purple passages don't ring true as the street lingo of a raffish backwater called Neptune Beach.

As a film noir entousiasme, I don't rate this film on the top ten of the genre. But it has some moments. Some great shots by Cinematographer Paul Ivano that would deserve being laminated and hanged on a wall. I'll let you notice them. Also check out a young 24 years old Shelley Winter with a 10 seconds scene as a waitress.

In brief a movie carried by cinematography more than acting, by atmosphere more than by a script.

Described by NYTimes' Bosley Crowther as 'shoddy' and by Dennis Schwartz as 'unnecessarily stage-like and much too pretentious for the modest storyline', these sum the film up well.

I was alerted to this film as it was listed by Anthony D'Ambra as one of his 71 essential films noirs with 5 stars - I have to demur. It was not a waste of time watching it, but it will definitely not be on my list for a second viewing.

Rumour has it that Dalton Trumbo was involved in the screenplay and he carries the can for the affected style. Belitta (I am always sceptical of actors/actresses with single names) is rather stiff and wooden.

One which can be watched once - for the quite elaborate cinematography for a 'B' film, but that's about all.

The Gangster, a raw, bitter portrait of a racketeer. Shubunka is the self-made head of the rackets in the sleazy boardwalk community of Neptune City, a low-rent version of Coney Island. He has become infatuated with a sultry nightclub chanteuse and lavishes her with gifts and attention, spending money on her that might better go to maintaining his hold on his operation. His obsession with her, as well as his pride, clouds his judgment as Cornell, a much more ruthless hoodlum, moves in on Shubunka's territory, bribes and threatens his associates, and compromises his operation. As if in a Greek tragedy, the petty gangster's weaknesses conspire to cause his downfall.

This film is offbeat, with a psychological focus that's full of glorious theatrical melodrama it's certainly compelling. It's also certainly a film noir, with its seamy portrayal of doomed underworld characters and a fine supporting cast of noir stalwarts including Akim Tamiroff, Henry Morgan, Charles McGraw, and Elisha Cook, Jr. (Keep a lookout for Shelley Winters as a cashier.)

The actress known as Belita (birth name: Maria Belita Jepson-Turner) was a professional ice skater brought to Hollywood to try and replicate the success of another European skater, Sonja Henie. While Belita did make a few ice skating films such as Ice-Capades (1941) and Silver Skates (1943), she wound up perhaps better remembered by movie fans for her acting roles in her low-budget noirs (though in Suspense, she also skates!).

With the The effective musical score , heavy dramatic and sharp gritty script , first class cinematography that crates a dreamlike atmosphere; A downbeat ending for the books in this movie that is like a pulp novel come to life. It all jives and really works in the film's favor. Excellent offbeat film noir 8/10

Barry Sullivan is "The Gangster" from 1947, also starring Belita, Joan Lorring, Akim Tamiroff, Hary Morgan, Fifi D'orsay, John Ireland, Sheldon Leonard, Elisha Cook Jr., and Virginia Christine - lots of familiar faces.

Sullivan plays Shubunka, a bookmaker who is also in the numbers racket, operating in a beach community. It's probably Coney Island. He's madly in love with a performer, Nancy (Belita), and his jealousy and doubts about her are a constant problem for both of them.

Shubunka uses a soda shop as his base of operations. The soda jerk, Harry Morgan, is a gift to the ladies (in his own mind) who thinks that all it takes is some chop suey and a movie to get a woman to come across. His latest interest (D'Orsay) works in the nearby corset shop.

John Ireland does a terrific job as a desperate, compulsive gambler in major trouble with collectors. He goes around attempting to borrow money; meanwhile his wife (Christine) is always looking for him.

Cornell (Leonard) is trying to take over Shubunka's business, and convinces Shubunka's number two man, Jammey (Tamiroff) to hand over some lists. All Jammey wants is to live, and his prospects aren't looking good.

Joan Lorring is the frightened cashier who can't get away from Shubunka fast enough.

A sense of doom permeates this entire film. It's tense, dark, and very atmospheric as Shubunka follows Nancy to find out if she's really meeting an agent, and as people enter and leave a sometimes crowded soda shop, with people having fun, not noticing the undercurrent of danger.

Well-done film, good performances, nerve-wracking in spots, with a big ending.

I watched "The Gangster" because of those wily tricksters at TCM, who do such a great job setting up all of their movies that you feel like you simply can't miss whatever terrific gem is on next. "The Gangster" was part of their "Summer of Darkness" series, a series devoted to my favorite film genre: film noir. But "The Gangster" is not a noir, nor is it even a gangster movie. It's more like the character study of someone who happens to be a gangster, and it's pretty underwhelming stuff. Barry Sullivan is the titular character, a heavy with a serious case of self doubt. Around him float a supporting cast of more or less pathetic loners, and the film plays like an examination of the loneliness to be found on the crowded city streets, a loneliness that persists despite being constantly surrounded by fellow human beings. That's a noir theme, but it isn't given a noir treatment by director Gordon Wiles, who won an art direction Oscar in 1931-32 for "Transatlantic." The TCM host said that his production design background is evident in his direction, as the film looks more like a play than a movie. Boy does it, and it's impossible to stage a film noir this way, since noir is, above anything else, cinematic.

But my disappointment in "The Gangster" lies not only in the false advertising of TCM. On its own terms it's still not much more than a mediocre, rather slow movie.

Grade: C+

Surprising film from a Poverty Row company, an awesome film noir made with great talent and care from the director as well the screenwriters - the great Dalton Trumbo - and a psychological portrait of a gangster, so impressive. Jawdropping photography too. Gordon Wiles, whose this film is the last, shows also his best, even better than PRISON TRAIN, made nine years before. This is a great underrated film noir that should be shown again. The scheme is however everything but new, everything but unpredictable, the fall of a petty hoodlum. But, I repeat, it is very well done, and for crime films buffs, it is far enough to enjoy this little jewel. Barry Sullivan si impressive in such anti hero, a weak gangster who thinks he his strong. Yes, an outstanding performance that we could have found in a major Warner Bros film from the forties.

A strange film noir involving a low level racketeer being muscled out by a more powerful criminal. Overwritten is a mild description of this screenplay as the dialogue in this film is the most overripe words written in some time. The director, a former film designer, shot the film on sets (even though the action of the story takes place on Coney Island boardwalks) rather than actual locations giving the film an ethereal feeling of dreamy memory rather than what we come to expect from the the typical noir. Even the line delivery by the actors seems too much for most but if you can go w/the flow, you'll have a good yet strange time peeping this.

Barry Sullivan plays the title role in The Gangster a story about a small time book maker and numbers king who's set up shop in a a beach community that looks a whole lot like Coney Island. He's on top but in his position you have to be always and 100% of the time on a constant lookout for those looking to pull you down.

But Sullivan has got a lot on his mind as he's spending more time with an ambitious woman played by Belita. Leaving him ripe for a takeover by Sheldon Leonard who's moving in with his crew.

A lot of very familiar character players are in this film which is always a plus. Best among them are Akim Tamiroff as Sullivan's number two whose only ambition is to come out alive if there's a gang war. There's also Harry Morgan who's a soda jerk in one of Sullivan's spots trying to step up in class by dating Fifi D'Orsay the class he wants to step up to. They are the comic relief in an otherwise grim film.

The Gangster is a competent and well made film. But view it along side of Night And The City that Jules Dassin directed with Richard Widmark in the same kind of role Sullivan plays here. That one is done with so much more flair and style.

Shubunka (Barry Sulivan) is a cynical racketeer running the grimmy Neptune Beach waterfront. Rival Cornell is looking to move into his territory. Soda shop owner Nick Jammey runs his numbers. He is obsessed with his nightclub singer girlfriend Nancy Starr. Dorothy is the sweet shop cashier. Shorty (Harry Morgan) is the braggart soda jerk.

I know that Shubunka is supposed to be world-weary, but I would like him to be more charismatic. Maybe he could show more brutality or more humanity, either way. This is almost like a dreary play. I do like this when Shubunka becomes the underdog. This is an unconventional noir. I really like this when his situation slowly deteriorates and everybody turns their backs on him. There is something compelling about slowly losing and losing.

In New Jersey, the gangster Shubunka (Barry Sullivan) and his gang give protection to the café owned by Nick Jammey (Akim Tamiroff) and other smalltime businessmen on the waterfront of the Neptune Beach. Shubunka is a man that do not trust anybody and when he has an affair with the showgirl Nancy (Belita), he spends his money giving apartment, jewelry, clothing and paying the bills of his girlfriend and neglecting his racketing. Meanwhile, the gambler Karty (John Ireland) asks to borrow a large amount from Shubunka since he has debts and has embezzled money from the garage of his brothers-in-law, but Shubunka refuses. The cashier Dorothy (Joan Lorring) quits her job in the cafe since she is upset with the Shubunka's rackets. Shubunka does not pay attention to the powerful gangster Cornell (Sheldon Leonard) that is stealing his territory despite Jammey's warnings to him. When Karty has an argument with Jammey that does not borrow money to him, Karty accidentally kills him with a frying pan. Cornell believes Shubunka killed Jammey, and Shubunka has to flee in a rainy night. However, he is betrayed by Nancy, Dorothy and his gang that refuse to help him and he has no money. What will happen to Shubunka?

"The Gangster" (1947) is a theatrical film-noir with a short storyline. The plot is strange and melodramatic, and Shubunka and his operations are not well developed. "The Gangster" is worthwhile watching once for fans of the genre film-noir, but is weak. My vote is six.

Title (Brazil): "O Gangster" ("The Gangster")

Barry Sullivan is a hood who has gathered up the small rackets of the neighborhood that stands in for Coney Island. But now the Manhattan mob, in the person of Sheldon Leonard, wants to roll up his small kingdom, and Sullivan discovers the people he thought he could count on can't be trusted.

There's talent aplenty here, in front of the camera, like Akim Tamiroff, John Ireland. Henry Morgan, and Charles McGraw, a striking look because it's all obviously sets and backdrops, and a lot of ambition in this King Brothers production. But for gangsters they talk a lot, for a brutal thug Sullivan is given to long, vague monologues. In the end, the whole thing teeters on being ridiculous, like Our Gang putting on a production of Uncle Tom's Cabin, with Alfalfa stopping everything to try out his adenoids on "The Object of My Affection". Only here's it's Belita being dubbed in a night club scene, or soda jerk Harry Morgan trying to seduce dowdy Fifi D'Orsay . The critics hated it. I don't hate it, I just consider it marginal,with enough happy accidents to keep my attention.

A film about a small-time gangster with an overblown ego, who can talk the talk, but can't walk the walk. Mostly a self-pitying portrait of a second-rate gangster by the competent Barry Sullivan, who is unable to save this turkey. The female interests are uninteresting, and the minor characters are never developed. Don't waste your time on this film noir miss.

This feels like a gangster movie written by Dostoyevsky. Far from focusing on Shubunka's role as a tough guy running a racket, the movie is more interested in watching him wrestle with his paranoia, his rigidity, and his deep need to be loved or even liked by someone while being unable to let down his defenses.