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Machine Gun Kelly (1958)

Director: Roger Corman

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From Time Out Film Guide

Corman's first gangster movie is one of the most ambitious and rewarding of his '50s quickies: not because it transcends any of its inherent limitations, but rather because it indulges them recklessly. Apparently modelling itself on Siegel's Baby Face Nelson, it sees Kelly (Bronson) as a child-like thug with a pathological fear of death, helplessly dominated by his moll Flo (Cabot, Corman's favourite femme fatale until Barbara Steele came along). The post-Freudian motifs aren't imposed on the dime-novel material; they grow with a hysteria all of their own from the sleazy settings and one-note performances. The movie reveals Corman as a director entirely in touch with his audience, and Floyd Crosby as one of the most prodigiously resourceful cameramen in Hollywood history.

Author: TR 0000-00-00 00:00:00

Time Out Film Guide

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Cast & crew

Director: Roger Corman

Producer: Roger Corman

Cast: Charles Bronson, Susan Cabot, Morey Amsterdam, Jack Lambert, Wally Campo, Barboura Morris, Connie Gilchrist full cast

Genre(s): Gangsters

Duration: 80 mins


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