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This is a good film...not a great one. Pacino always delivers, but he does not out-do what he gave us in "Godfather II" or "Dog Day Afternoon", or even "Carlito's Way". The violence is graphic, the language unbearable, but the characters are predictable. There are a few terrific performances aside from Pacino...a 'pre-Amadeus' F. Murray Abraham delivers well as the ill-fated Omar Suarez, Miriam Colon steals the scene from Pacino as the Mama filled with pride, and angry as she sees her son's descent into the nether-world of drugs and crime. It's what I wish Beryl Mercer would have said and done with Cagney in The "Public Enemy". This film is a difficult watch because it travels forth in almost real-time, and if you miss a little...you miss a lot. It is not for kids. Also, while the film was dedicated to Hawks and Hecht, I don't think the contribution of Seton I. Miller to the original screen-play should be overlooked. Miller had more screen plays to his credit that showcased hard boiled prison criminals than did Hecht, and no doubt Miller made the 1932 film sizzle as it did.

If not for Ann Margret, this would be a negligible entry in the Presley filmography. Presely's real film acting career ended when he entered the army in 1958. What followed after his discharge was all for the purpose of box-office and making money. No real artistry, none of the pathos of a "King Creole" or "Jail House Rock". "Viva La Vegas" is nothing more than cheesecake...in fact, it's not really about Vegas, but about car racing. Boy meets girl, boy loses girl, boy and girl find each other again...happily ever after...etc. Nothing new here. In fact, some of the songs are so hokey and the plots so predictable, it's a wonder he was able to get away with a schlocky flick such as this one. He probably made another decent flick or two before ending his film career...but this, to me, is NOT one of them.