Kelly el ametralladora

George Kelly is a small-time crook looking to make some big newspaper headlines to impress his imposing moll Flo. After one successful bank robbery after another, one turns into a botch job with Kelly's phobia of death leaving on his men dead and the other wanting his blood. After ridding that problem, due to Flo's pressure to do something. She influences him into kidnapping a wealthy businessman's daughter, but this would lead onto their downfall with Kelly's lurking weakness coming through.

Roger Corman does it again. "Machine-Gun Kelly" is another fine example of perfect film-making on a minimal budget and time restraint, where he's still able to deliver a sturdy, brisk and fleshed-out b-gangster film with a professional touch. The picture looked good, and photographer Floyd Crosby's sharp and shadowy handling brought out the film's brooding ambiance. While Gerald Fried's jazzy music score keeps it all in an exciting and saucy mood. Corman's style isn't overly jumpy, but more so tight, tough and namely suggestive in its actions and basic story telling. Actually there's plenty of time and focus on the material, and that of the complex character of Kelly. One of the major curiosities however, would be that of Charles Bronson's sterling performance as George "Machine-Gun" Kelly. For his first lead role he plays it accordingly, with an on edge and moody shade of an infant bully. Equally as impressive was his icy co-star Susan Cabot. Her vividly titular performance as the cheeky, sly broad of Kelly's is dominantly manipulative. The support cast (Morey, Frank De Kova, Jack Lambert, Richard Devon, Connie Gilchrist) added much-welcomed colour and personality. Corman's straight-laced direction is efficiently organised and he brews up a smoky atmosphere with its authentically wishy-washy 1930's settings. R. Wright Campbell's pulp material is loaded with a snappy, economical and highly engaging script and is loosely based on a 1930s gangster. It's actually an innovative little set-up with some effective psychology brushes and a downbeat ending that fits right at home with the central character's ineptness of his reputation. Kelly's character really sticks out a like a sore thumb compared to the rest of the hardened criminal figures. It's all about the power and name one achieves from these acts is what they're after, not just the doe. This what makes Kelly look uncomfortable.

Even with its limitations, it turns out to be a highly entertaining and satisfying low-scale crime caper by Roger Corman.

Machine Gun Kelly (1958)

** 1/2 (out of 4)

Low budget gangster film has Charles Bronson playing the title character, a harden criminal who always has his Thompson machine gun in hand but he also has a fear of being killed. This Roger Corman quickie is pretty good throughout, although the film really doesn't offer anything new the to the genre. The movie moves at a pretty fast pace and contains plenty of action to keep fans entertained. The most interesting thing about watching this movie today is seeing the young Bronson give a performance, which he certainly wouldn't give after becoming a star. If you've only seen Bronson's later day stuff then you're in for a treat as we see a different type of Bronson here. A fast talker, one that smiles and even one who flirts with the ladies. This adds a little more charm to the film that I'm sure it didn't have back when it was originally released. Susan Cabot is very good as Bronson's girlfriend, a dirty little girl who doesn't mind looking at other men. The action is very good throughout and the film has a great music score but I wish it had tried something a little different every once in a while. The best moments in the film are the ones with Bronson messing with a caged lion.

The clothes and cars are of the 1930s, but sometimes the score sounds like something from the 30s, and other times, with bongos, it sounds like the soundtrack of a beatnik movie of the early 60s and late 50s. Even stranger, the actors talk like Beatniks lots of times. There is little bank robbery action here. Roger Corman did not have the same budget Warren Beatty had with "Bonny and Clyde" over at Warner Brothers, so he had to make do with this largely being a relationship and character study picture with scenes that could be staged on cheaply dressed sets.

This is notable and worthwhile for several reasons. It is an early role for Charles Bronson in the title role. In this highly fictional biopic Kelly is afraid of things that remind him of death - coffins and skulls for example. His fear of coffins plays heavily in one botched bank robbery when he encounters a funeral procession and is feet from the coffin and ends up being a no show for the job. Also, Susan Cabot, often remembered for playing the lead in Wasp Woman, is a dragon lady as Kelly's girlfriend. She seems to be much bolder and more bloodthirsty than Kelly is. In fact, Kelly had a wife that encouraged him in his life of crime and got him into machine guns. But the biggest reason to watch this - Morey Amsterdam. If you only remember him as Buddy Sorrell on the Dick Van Dyke Show in the 60s, and the bane of the existence of yes man Mel Cooley, then this performance is a revelation. He is a wacko but cowardly comrade of Kelly's that Kelly "teaches a lesson" to in a most unique way. This does not improve his overall mood, and though he has only a supporting role it is memorable.

Machine Gun Kelly and his wife were actually taken alive as shown in the film. For all of his bravado Kelly didn't want to die. Kelly died in prison in 1954. His wife was paroled in 1958, the same year this film was released. I wonder if she ever saw it?

Just one more thing - Connie Gilchrest plays Ma Becker here, Kelly's girlfriend's hard boiled brothel running mother. I kept thinking that if this picture had been made ten years later, Shelley Winters could have done a lot with this part, maybe even stolen the picture. I guess Corman and I were on the same page, because in 1970 he cast Winters as Ma Barker in "Bloody Mama" in a very similar kind of role.

Most Bronson fans will fudge their way through his mid to late 80's flicks in search of more classic badaxx Bronson before finding this lost classic. Save your time and bucks by going straight to this excellent crime thriller.

See Bronson create the screen persona that would stay with him the rest of his long career. Bronson shines as the notorious and tough as nails Machine Gun Kelly. He plays a ruthless and mean spirited criminal with no love for anyone and a great fear of death. Great direction and pacing, great action and stylistic photography make for an enjoyable 80 minute diversion into the world of crime in early America. I'm not sure how accurate this was to the real life of Machine Gun, but Bronson brings to life his character in a way that grabbed the attention of a young Hollywood.

If you love the tough guy Bronson and are trying to add to your collection, skip most of his later films (Assasination, 10 to Midnight, Kinjite, Messenger...)and go straight for Machine Gun Kelly. I promise you'll get the mean mutha' Bronson that you're looking for!! Time to put this one on DVD....The Stone Killer and Telefon too for that matter

A unique crime story -- a small-time thief (Bronson) is turned into a legend by his tough-as-nails moll (Cabot). "Machine Gun" robs a chain of banks and finally turns his ambitions to kidnapping -- hounded all the way by a compulsive fear of death. The photography by Crosby is elegant, the acting of the lead pair and the supporting cast are all pretty much dead-on. A tight, efficient telling of a memorable tale, peopled with all sorts of interesting characters (the gas station owner/accomplice who keeps a deadly menagerie behind the garage, Cabot's mom who keeps telling Kelly what a disappointment he is because he hasn't broken into the "big time", etc.).

Interestingly, this film takes the gangster genre beyond film noir (finally, after 3 decades) by making his characters not only self-loathing but WORTHY of self-loathing!

One of Corman's very best films as a director.