''Machine-Gun Kelly'' is a 1958

film noir Film noir (; ) is a style of Cinema of the United States, Hollywood Crime film, crime dramas that emphasizes cynicism (contemporary), cynical attitudes and motivations. The 1940s and 1950s are generally regarded as the "classic period" of Ameri ...

directed by

Roger Corman Roger William Corman (April 5, 1926 – May 9, 2024) was an American film director, producer, and actor. Known under various monikers such as "The Pope of Pop Cinema", "The Spiritual Godfather of the New Hollywood", and "The King of Cult", he w ...

that chronicles the criminal activities of the real-life gangster George "Machine Gun" Kelly. Despite its small budget, the film received positive critical reviews.

Charles Bronson Charles Bronson (born Charles Dennis Buchinsky; November 3, 1921 – August 30, 2003) was an American actor. He was known for his roles in action films and his "granite features and brawny physique". Bronson was born into extreme poverty in ...

's lead role in ''Machine-Gun Kelly'' was his first in a feature film. Corman called the film "a major turning point in my career," because it was the first for which he had received serious critical attention.

American International Pictures American International Pictures, LLC (AIP or American International Productions) is an American film production company owned by Amazon MGM Studios. In its original operating period, AIP was an independent film production and distribution c ...

released the film as a

double feature The double feature is a Film, motion picture industry phenomenon in which theaters would exhibit two films for the price of one, supplanting an earlier format in which the presentation of one feature film would be followed by various short subjec ...

with '' The Bonnie Parker Story''.

Plot

George Kelly, dubbed "Machine Gun" by his partner in crime Flo Becker because of his obsession with

Thompson submachine guns The Thompson submachine gun (also known as the "Tommy gun", "Chicago typewriter", or "trench broom") is a blowback-operated, Selective fire, selective-fire submachine gun, invented and developed by Brigadier general (United States), Brigadie ...

, robs a bank and eventually becomes public enemy #1. Discord grows among his inner circle, and Kelly, afraid of being jailed or killed, is dominated and ridiculed by the tough-talking Flo. A botched robbery causes their partner Michael Fandango to lose an arm. Kelly, goaded by Flo, kidnaps the daughter of a wealthy businessman for ransom. Fandango identifies him to the police but is killed by one of Kelly's gang as the house is surrounded. Kelly intends to surrender, if only to receive a more lenient sentence and avoid execution. Flo again questions his nerve, and Kelly slugs her. Both are taken to jail.

Cast

Production

said he had been attracted to Kelly's story because of how the gangster had meekly surrendered. Corman hired Robert Wright Campbell as screenwriter and said that Campbell "wrote a very good script with strong, well-sketched characters," based a great deal on the facts. Corman had hired Campbell on the strength of his previous work, especially '' Five Guns West''. The film was announced in December 1957. It was intended to replace ''The Land of Prehistoric Women'' on Corman's schedule. Dick Miller was originally announced as the star, and in early January, Susan Cabot was announced as the female lead. However, Miller withdrew, and was replaced by

, for whom it was his first appearance in a lead role. Susan Cabot said that the film was the "most satisfactory" of the six that she made with Corman, in part because of what she called the "fun thing going on" between her character and Bronson's and the strength of her relationship with Bronson. The film was shot in ten days for $60,000.

Reception

The ''

Los Angeles Times The ''Los Angeles Times'' is an American Newspaper#Daily, daily newspaper that began publishing in Los Angeles, California, in 1881. Based in the Greater Los Angeles city of El Segundo, California, El Segundo since 2018, it is the List of new ...

'' called ''Machine-Gun Kelly'' a "sleeper" with "a very good screenplay" in which Bronson makes Kelly "a full, three dimensional human being."'Kelly' Surprises as New Crime Sleeper, Warren, Geoffrey M. ''Los Angeles Times'' 4 July 1958: 12. The film was reasonably successful in the U.S. but fared well in Europe, and Corman's work was examined in journals such as '' Cahiers du Cinéma''.

References

Notes

External links

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Machine Gun Kelly
at Letterbox DVD
review
by '' Variety'' {{DEFAULTSORT:Machine-Gun Kelly (Film) 1958 films 1958 crime films 1950s biographical films American crime films American biographical films 1950s English-language films Biographical films about criminals American International Pictures films Films directed by Roger Corman Films produced by Roger Corman Films with screenplays by Robert Wright Campbell Films scored by Gerald Fried Cultural depictions of Machine Gun Kelly 1950s American films English-language crime films English-language biographical films