Robert J. Maxwell It was directed by Don Siegel who had made some good movies and would make more. This isn't one of them. It would have taken a magician to make much out of this B-level screenplay that lays out the rise and fall of a minor Midwestern gangster and bank robber, Mickey Rooney.Siegel handled brutality with genuine artistry but this gives him no chance to do much. Unless we have some feeling for the characters one way or another, who cares who gets hurt? There's no humanity in any figure except Carolyn Jones as Rooney's appealingly feminine moll. And how does he treat her? "C'mere, babe, and make like Mrs. Nelson," he snarls from his bed, stubbing out his cigarette.On the plus side, what a supporting cast, most of them over the hill. Few of them get much screen time but you'll recognize many of the faces -- Emil Meyer, Elisha Cook Jr., Tom Gordon as John Dillinger, Jack Elam, and Sir Cedric Hardwicke as a dissolute criminal doctor. John Hoyt is an FBI agent. Hoyt was the Martian with three arms in a "Twilight Zone" episode and he was also Decius Brutus, one of the assassins, in MGM's "Julius Caesar." I wouldn't want to argue that John Hoyt had a lot of range. I can't imagine him in a light-hearted role. But when the part fit him, nobody could carry it off better than John Hoyt.I don't mean to suggest that the screenplay is that bad. It's not laughable. It's just plain pedestrian and lacks any grace notes whatever. Having used that metaphor, I might as well add that Van Alexander's score really sucks, entirely aside from the fact that there's too much of it. If you want to hear how a musical score can add to or subtract from a film's impact, this will provide you with a good bad example -- an abstract big-band playing what must have passed for modern jazz in 1957, full of blaring horns and counterpoint. Not a hint of "Oodles of Noodles" let alone "Sophisticated Lady."

morrison-dylan-fan Shortly after watching a tremendous film for the very first time called Dirty Harry,I decided,that since having become a big fan of Clint Eastwood thanks to his one-two punch of Changaling and Grand Torino,I felt that it was about time to take a look at the credits of Dirty Harry's director:Don Siegel.As I went down the list of titles by Siegel,I was surprise to find very near the end of the page that one of his first ever films was about a gangster called Baby Face Nelson.Predicting,that this would be a very easy film to get hold of,thanks to it being directed by the man behind Dirty Harry and the original Invasion of The Body Snatchers I went to order the film on Amazon.Shortly after getting onto the site,I soon began to get a creeping feeling that this was a film which seemed to have been wiped off the face of the earth.Desperate to find what was now becoming one of my "holy grail" films,I spent the next 4 years checking up on Youtube and Ebay every week in the hope of getting the chance to see the film.With having tried every option possible to get hold of this title,I eventually accepted that I would have to admit defeat on every getting hold of the film.A few months after waving "the white flag",me and my dad experienced one of the few times where we have both been stunned into silence,when a very kind friend caught me completely off-guard and passed me the film!After all of the years of searching,I decided that it was at last time to sit back and see one of the most elusive gangsters ever for the very first time. The plot:Given an early release from prison thanks to good behaviour,Lester Joseph Gillis prepares to take his first breath of freedom.Suddenly,as soon as the prison doors are closed behind Lester,a car appears which is driven by a man who has been order to take him to meet the person who secretly sorted out his early release:Rocca.Relucktently.Agreeing to the meeting,Gillis is told by that due to him having had to invest a good amount of cash in getting him out of jail,Rocca really hopes that Gillis will pay him back by doing some very important "missions".After being shown the first person who he is required to "deal" with,Rocca passes Lester some cash and drops him off so that he can at last be reunited with his wife.As he is still thinking about being reunited with his wife,Lester's flat is suddenly invaded by two cops,who find a gun that has been secretly placed by Rocca as a set up to get Gills sent straight back to jail.Being all prepared to send Gills straight back from where he came from,the plan of Rocca and the dirty police officers is left in tatters when Lester arranges his own secret plan with his wife,who intercepts the train carrying Gills and ends up becoming his getaway driver.As Lester plans on how to get his own back at Rocca and his name begins to climb up the Ten Most Wanted list,he soon starts to notice that as the number of crimes he commits goes up,the tightening of the noose from the police also starts to get closer and closer. View on the film:Although Mickey Rooney was sadly unable to completely block my memory of him being the lovable Andy Hardy in a series of films that he made with Judy Garland,I still feel that he gave a good performance as the "angelic face" gangster,with the scenes of Gills committing a series of robberies allowing Ronny to show a wickedly cunning side to the character,and also having Roony show a wonderful "wise guys" snarl as he begins to feel that he is quickly becoming "the man" of the corrupt ridden city that Siegel displays.Whilst I did still have my old memories of Mickey in my head,Caolyn Jones ended up completely catching me off- guard with her great performance as Nelson's wife .Along with not getting me to suspect for a moment that this was one of the main cast members from the classic TV series The Addams Family,Jones (who also has a sun bathing scene in the film!) gives a fantastic performance as Nelson's Femme Fatale Sue,that along with showing her desperate to wrap herself around Nelson's "rouge" lifestyle,also allows Jones wonderful "Gothic" face to show Sue as someone with an edgy side,who instead of being unwillingly pulled into Nelson's world,is actually someone that is their for the whole thrill of it all.Despite the film starting with a note that dedicates this sadly almost impossible to find,fantastic Gangster Film Noir to the FBI!,director Don Siegel displays an excitement for the anti-heroes activities that he would return to 14 years later.For the excellent stylish look of the film,Siegel has a number of objects in the background "shaded" (something which he also smartly does with the suits that the characters wear) into black,that allows for a great contrast with the characters clothes,faces and still-thrilling wild robbery scenes,which allow Siegel to create a terrific,far from "babyface" Gangster/Crime Film Noir.

bevep Baby Face Nelson with Mickey Rooney is entertaining but not very factual.Keeping in mind that Hollywood was in a "crime doesn't pay" mode in the 50's ... many exciting moments in Baby Face Nelson's criminal career were either white-washed or eliminated completely, leaving no direction in the story & not much for Mickey Rooney to work with.This is surprising if you look back to the Cagney films of the 1930's(Roaring Twenties/Public Enemy) where the hero (or villain, depending on your point of view) was applauded by the public ... & sometimes even triumphed over the good guys. On the plus side: Mickey Rooney did do an outstanding job (he even looked somewhat like Baby Face)The moral: great for fans of Mickey Rooney ... not so great for fans of Baby Face Nelson.

muffinheuer2003 I saw this movie several years ago and really liked it a lot. I'm currently trying to find a copy. If anyone could help me get a copy please contact me at muffinheuer2003@yahoo.com I really loved Mickey Rooney's performance in this film. He was and STILL IS a great star. He is my all time favorite. I like all of his movies I have seen and that is almost 100. I loved him in the Andy Hardy Films, Young Tom Edison, Killer McCoy, The Judy Garland and Mickey Rooney musicals. He was and is so talented. Hollywood will never know another Mickey Roooney. Please help me locate a copy and if you have a copy would you please contact me? I would greatly appreciate it!