I Mobster

Roger Corman directed this 1958 story of the rise and fall of a hoodlum, on what was for him a generous budget. There's an exploitation feeling to this one, which was one of many inexpensive, somewhat backward looking crime films of the late fifties. Steve Cochran, in the title role, is a little too old but still holds the screen with his unique brand of sleazy charisma, showing once again that with the right vehicle he might have become a major star. His performance is sympathetic, and helps make the movie more interesting than it might have been with a cooler actor (Ralph Meeker, say). The script isn't much, and the other actors are no more than adequate. If one has a taste for lowbrow crime films, this one's pretty good, as it evokes its paperback and men's magazine era nicely, and has about it the whiff of an old-time barbershop.

I, MOBSTER may have some historical significance, of a sort. This may be the first film based on a paperback original. When I say "paperback original" I'm referring to the flood of two-bit (literally, they sold for a quarter) paperback books that were NOT reprints: these books, published by Dell, Gold Medal (Fawcett) Lion and others had a boom after World war II, taking over the newsstands, drug store racks, etc. and hastening the demise of the pulp magazines. Writers like Robert Bloch, Richard Matheson, Jim Thompson and Charles Williams got their start in the paperback originals, and established writers like David Goodis and Cornell Woolrich turned to them for quick money.

Many of these books have now been filmed by the likes of Truffaut (SHOOT THE PIANO PLAYER from Goodis' DOWN THERE) Cornfield (THE 3RD VOICE from Williams' ALL THE WAY) and others -- Jim Thompson most frequently --but as far as I can tell, Roger Corman's I, MOBSTER was the first, from an "anonymous" Gold Medal Original, I, MOBSTER, published in 1951.

Can anyone find an earlier?

I Mobster (1958)

** 1/2 (out of 4)

Joe Sante (Steve Cochran) grew up poor as a child due to his immigrant parents but he plans on much bigger things. He ends up working for a gangster as a young age and quickly rises to the top but once on the top he realizes that there's only one place left to go. This Corman production will never be confused with the greatest gangster pictures out there but there are enough nice touches to make it worth viewing. What I enjoyed most was the style of the film, which might cause some to think of Martin Scorsese's GOODFELLAS because both films start off with a young kid and we see him through the ups and downs of the business. I thought this film did a very good job at showing how some of these lower-level thugs worked and Corman certainly handled the material with ease. Some of the best moments happens towards the start of the picture as Joe starts to get more and more money, which doesn't sit well with his father because he knows what has to be going on in order to get this type of money. This continues with a very good sequence of Joe getting out of prison and being made an official member but first he must commit a crime to prove his loyalty. Corman gives the film a very fast and easy feel and some of this is due to the terrific score by Edward L. Alperson, Jr. and Gerald Fried. The Jazz music really adds a lot of heat and this is especially true during an extremely sexual striptease. Cochran makes for a good lead as he has no trouble making you believe he's this tough guy who will stop at nothing to get what he wants. Lita Milan steals the film as the woman he loves. She has a wide range of emotions to go through and she nails them perfectly. Also good are Robert Strauss as the man who brings Joe in and Celia Lovsky is good as his mother. Lili St. Cyr appears as herself and bombshell Yvette Vickers (ATTACK OF THE 50FT WOMAN) has a brief role. At 81-minutes the film has a pretty good pace from start to finish and as you can see the cast are in fine form. The biggest problem is that the screenplay really isn't doing anything we haven't seen countless times before and if you've at least seen one gangster flick in your life then you should see all the trappings here. With that said, I MOBSTER is a decent little "B" picture that fans of Corman will want to check out.

If you are a fan of his, then you wont be deceived, no way. It also proves that Roger Corman was a very good director, not only the film maker of cheap crap flicks, in horror genre. He also could give westerns and film noirsas this one. Remember ST VALENTINES DAY MASSACRE, THE INTRUDER or VON RICHTOFFEN AND BROWN, not grade B movies but excellent major ones. This film, that I comment now, offers the usual and predictable rise and fall of a gangster, his loves, his fights and the rest.... Nothing special but splendidly done and pulled by the best actor for this kind of stuff. Enjoy.

Growing up around the mob, Joe turns to the syndicate early in life & quickly gains respect, jobs, & a great deal of money. And despite his mother's & his girlfriend's attempts to persuade him to stay out of organized crime, he works his way up the ladder to the top. But there's bound to be some competition to head the syndicate. Who can you trust?

This is a great early mob film with very good acting, a great story with a beautiful love story built in featuring the stunning Lita Milan. Not terribly suspenseful, but overall a good flick.