While the gangster film may have enjoyed its heyday in the 1930s and 40s, it has remained a movie staple for almost as long as cinema has existed. From the early films of Humphrey Bogart, James Cagney, and Edward G. Robinson to modern versions likeBugsy,Public Enemies, andGangster Squad, such films capture the brutality of mobs and their leaders.InGangsters and G-Men on Screen:Crime Cinema Then and Now, Gene D. Phillips revisits some of the most popular and iconic representations of the genre. While this volume offers new perspectives on some established classicsusual suspects likeLittle Caesar,Bonnie and Clyde, andThe Godfather Part IIPhillips also calls attention to some of the unheralded but no less worthy films and filmmakers that represent the genre. Expanding the viewers notion of what constitutes a gangster film, Phillips offers such unusual choices asYou Only Live Once,Key Largo,The Lady from Shanghai, and even the 1949 version ofThe Great Gatsby. Also included in this examination are more recent ventures, such as modern classicsThe Grifters and Martin ScorsesesThe Departed.In his analyses, Phillips draws on a number of sources, including personal interviews with directors and other artists and technicians associated with the films he discusses. Of interest to film historians and scholars,Gangsters and G-Men on Screen will also appeal to anyone who wants to better understand the films that represent an important contribution to crime cinema.

Gene D. Phillips, SJ, is the author of several works on film and literature, includingBeyond the Epic: The Life and Films ofDavid Lean,Some Like It Wilder: The Life and Controversial Films of Billy Wilder, andOut of the Shadows: Expanding the Canon of Classic Film Noir (Scarecrow, 2011). He is the coauthor ofThe Francis Ford Coppola Encyclopedia (Scarecrow, 2010).

AcknowledgmentsIntroductionChapter 1: The Rise of the Gangster FilmChapter 2: Little Caesar and The Public EnemyChapter 3: The Story of Temple Drake and No Orchids for Miss BlandishChapter 4: Dead End and This Gun for HireChapter 5: Criss Cross and White HeatChapter 6: John Hustons Key Largo and The Asphalt JungleChapter 7: The Lady from Shanghai and The Great GatsbyChapter 8: Fritz Langs You Only Live Once and The Big HeatChapter 9: The Godfather, Part IIChapter 10: Bonnie and Clyde and The UntouchablesChapter 11: The Grifters and The DepartedChapter 12: Dillinger and Public EnemiesAfterword: Gangster Squad (2013) and Other FilmsBibliographyIndexAbout the Author