I don't think there is an earlier gangster drama of this quality. Director Josef von Sternberg was definitely breaking new ground when he brought out 'Underworld' in 1927. George Bancroft as gangster boss 'Buck' Weed takes a linking to Clive Brook, whom he calls 'Rolls Royce'. Brook is in the doldrums and drunk most of the time, but Bancroft gives him a chance. The snag is, Brook falls in love with his new boss's girl Feathers (played by Evelyn Brent), and things get both complicated and dangerous. I enjoyed watching 'Underworld' almost from start to finish. Bancroft is great as jovial criminal, and Brook convinced me as ex-lawyer turned bum who takes the chance that is being offered to him. Fred Kohler als Bancroft's brutal rival Mulligan is also very good. On the downside, Brent's character is underdeveloped - she stays relatively pale. The ending is pretty sentimental and does not fit the style of the rest of the film. Bancroft turns out to be a bandit with a heart of gold who discovers what friendship really is about - and that literally a minute before he ascends the gallows. Somehow I felt let down... But apart from that: Good film!
Review of Underworld
