Gangs of New York (1938)
1h 7m | PG-13
An undercover cop infiltrates a powerful New York based crime syndicate.
Director: James Cruze
Studio: Republic Pictures
Genre: Crime
Video: 720p
Cast
Charles Bickford
as Rocky Thorpe / John Franklin
Ann Dvorak
as Connie Benson
Alan Baxter
as Dancer
Wynne Gibson
as Orchid
Harold Huber
as Panatella
Willard Robertson
as Inspector Sullivan
Reviews
Charles Bickford doubles up nicely here as nasty mob boss "Rocky" and as his cop doppelgänger "Franklin" in this well paced and quite enjoyable crime thriller. Try as they might, the authorities cannot find a way to keep the presently incarcerated "Rocky" in jail, so they resort to swapping him for a lookalike, days before his release from prison, in the hope that the new iteration can help garner evidence to finally put an end to activities of the criminal fraternities running the city with impunity. There is a functional supporting cast to help this short film along, but mainly it's the strong effort from the star that maintains a fair degree of momentum as he must try and manoeuvre friend and foe before his precarious status is discovered by his gal or one of his cohorts. Passes an hour well, this - well worth an hour.