Barry Sullivan plays the title role in The Gangster a story about a small time book
maker and numbers king who's set up shop in a a beach community that looks a whole lot like Coney Island. He's on top but in his position you have to be always
and 100% of the time on a constant lookout for those looking to pull you down.
But Sullivan has got a lot on his mind as he's spending more time with an ambitious woman played by Belita. Leaving him ripe for a takeover by Sheldon Leonard who's moving in with his crew.
A lot of very familiar character players are in this film which is always a plus.
Best among them are Akim Tamiroff as Sullivan's number two whose only
ambition is to come out alive if there's a gang war. There's also Harry Morgan
who's a soda jerk in one of Sullivan's spots trying to step up in class by dating
Fifi D'Orsay the class he wants to step up to. They are the comic relief in an
otherwise grim film.
The Gangster is a competent and well made film. But view it along side of Night And The City that Jules Dassin directed with Richard Widmark in the same
kind of role Sullivan plays here. That one is done with so much more flair and style.
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