Wordiezett So much average

Raetsonwe Redundant and unnecessary.

KnotStronger This is a must-see and one of the best documentaries - and films - of this year.

Bumpy Chip It’s not bad or unwatchable but despite the amplitude of the spectacle, the end result is underwhelming.

MartinHafer In the late 1950s and early 60s, 1930s gangsters were the rage. In addition to the TV show "The Untouchables", there were a lot of films that practically made heroes out of Dillinger, Ma Barker and other unsavory jerks of the era. One thing these depictions all had in common...they bore little semblance to the actual criminals! Why? Because their real life exploits weren't all that exciting...so they spiced it up by fictionalizing their lives--much like films of the 1930s and 40s did with cowboys like Billy the Kid and Jesse James. So, if you are looking for a history lesson or documentary about Baby Face Nelson, you should not bother with this movie.If you don't mind that it's almost complete fiction, the film is modestly entertaining. Mickey Rooney's portrayal of the man is much like Jimmy Cagney's portrayal of Cody Jarrett in "White Heat"...completely over the top and more a caricature than realistic portrayal of anyone. This isn't so much a complaint...this is entertaining but it's hard to imagine anyone this antisocial and nasty being a successful gangster or working with any gang. This version of Nelson shoots people right and left, hates EVERYONE and is just plain nuts. The only problem with all this is that there is no room for anyone else in the film...even Dillinger! These other characters are one-dimensional and uninteresting. Overall, a dopey but enjoyable film. It has many faults but still makes for fun viewing if you have very, very modest expectations.

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."

ChuckTurner Don Siegel's BABY FACE NELSON is one of the harshest, most ferocious of movies; its conclusion one of the bleakest ever filmed. Siegel hit this same note of bitter cynicism again later in his career with DIRTY HARRY; but because BABY FACE NELSON offers no redemption for its protagonist, it is the more direct and powerful film. The central performance by Mickey Rooney ranks with Cagney's Cody Jarrett in Walsh's WHITE HEAT, in its absolute lack of sentimentality, utterly uninterested in ingratiation. One of the most chilling moments is when Nelson abruptly sets free a hostage instead of killing him: Rooney offers no clue as to why. There is no reason why: it is a whim as little understood by Nelson as by the viewer. An independent production originally released through United Artists, it has not been seen theatrically for several decades, and seems never to have been issued on DVD. Long overdue for rediscovery, BABY FACE NELSON should take its place alongside Siegel's better known pictures THE LINE UP and HELL IS FOR HEROES as a dark and chilling masterpiece.

allan-mac1 a decade not over-endowed with great movies this has to be one of the most under-rated and underplayed. Don Siegle even stops Rooney from over-acting. No mean feat. The result is a chilling portrayal that has to rate with Rooney's best. In terms of genre this must rate in the top ten of gangster movies. Why has it never been seen on TV? Good knows they dig deep enough sometimes dredging up the most turgid pap especially for day-time TV. Rooney's portrayal of the murderous psychopath could possibly only have been bettered by Cagney at his best. The dialogue is suitably hard-nosed and cynical. By the time they get to 1933 and the end of prohibition Rooney (Nelson) takes a drink in their hide-out and a colleague remarks 'Hey haven't you heard? It's legal now' to which Rooney replies 'No kiddin. Kinda takes the fun outa drinking it'. Watch it if you get the chance.