Shawn Hall While Underworld wasn’t the first gangster film (earlier films like D.W. Griffith’s The Musketeers of Pig Alley (1912) also depicted inner-city gangs), it brought together all the tropes we now associate with the gangster genre, just as sound came to Hollywood. The film was voted #100 on Silent Era’s Top 100 Silent Movies List, which I’m running a weekly series reviewing each movie on the list, and sharing if I agree with its ranking.
Underworld follows Rolls Royce, a lawyer who has hit hard times due to his alcoholism. When crime boss Bull Weed meets Royce, he brings him under his wing to lean on Royce’s experience and sharp mind in running his criminal empire. Trouble brews, however, when Royce falls for Weed’s girlfriend, Feathers. When Bull Weed faces heat from the local police, will Royce remain loyal to protect his friend or take advantage and claim Feathers as his own?
Left: Rolls Royce and Bull Weed Right: Feathers shows off a piece of her extravagant wardrobe
Being a silent movie, Underworld lacks the fast-talking, streetwise dialogue that would come to define the genre in the sound era. Despite never uttering a word, Underworld gives us a fully realized world of crime filled with the usual suspects of Prohibition-era speakeasies, Tommy guns, shootouts with the feds, and back-alley violence.
One key reason for the film’s realistic atmosphere is the script by Ben Hecht, who had worked as a crime beat reporter in Chicago. Many of the film’s events and characters were drawn from real gangsters he knew personally. This lends Underworld an authenticity that still feels fresh and lived-in even a century later.
George Bancroft (Left), plus Evelyn Brent and Clive Brook (Right) is perfect casting
The casting is also phenomenal. George Bancroft gives an unforgettable performance as Bull Weed, the film’s central gangster figure. He’s petty, violent, prideful, and deeply flawed, but Bancroft’s charisma keeps him charismatic and likeable. Without a strong actor in the role, the film could easily fall apart, but Bancroft is definitely up to the task.
Clive Brook as Rolls-Royce is the perfect romantic lead, a suave, calculated figure with a touch of class that counterbalances Bancroft’s tough-guy persona. Evelyn Brent holds her own as the third piece of the love triangle, showing off her love of the high life, wearing expensive gowns without ever being blind to the dangers of life in the gang.
Left: Bull Weed’s shadow looms over Feathers and Rolls Royce Right: Von Sternberg’s signature shadowy look during a shootout
Underworld wouldn’t be remembered nearly as much today if not for its direction from Josef von Sternberg. His trademark impressive visual style makes nearly every frame stunning. Through dramatic lighting, deep shadows, and expressive camerawork, von Sternberg creates a lavish, moody world. Smoke-filled speakeasies and shadowy alleyways have never looked more alluring.
All of these elements combined to make Underworld a surprise hit for Paramount. Its success and popularity helped spark the golden age of gangster films in the early 1930s, including Little Caesar (1931), The Public Enemy (1931), and the original Scarface (1932), starring Paul Muni.
Check out my video review of Underworld, complete with footage from the film.
With its perfect blend of visual style and gripping tales of gang mechanations, Underworld stands on its own as a powerful film that deserves a place on the list of the greatest silent films. It’s one of my favorite Von Sternberg films that I would personally put higher than last place on a top 100 silent movies list.
If you haven’t seen it yet, I recommend checking out the Criterion Collection’s Blu-ray set of Josef von Sternberg’s late silent works. It’s a must-have and even has a couple more films (The Docks of New York and The Last Command) I’ll be covering later in the series.
