Little Caesar (1981 film)

Little Caesar is a 1981 American neo-noir film directed by Joseph Andy starring Burt Young, a contemporary remake of the 1931 film of the same name, in turn based on the W. R. Burnet novel of the same name, tells the story of a hoodlum who ascends the ranks of organized crime until he reaches its upper echelons. the film received mixed reviews upon release, especially compared to the 1931 original but has since been hailed as a classic in the Neo-Noir genre.

Plot
Small-time criminals Caesar Enrico "Rico" Bandello and his friend Joe Massara move to Chicago to seek their fortunes. Rico joins the gang of Sam Vettori, while Joe wants to be a dancer. Ella becomes his dance partner and girlfriend.

Joe tries to drift away from the gang and its activities, but Rico makes him participate in the robbery of the nightclub where he works. Despite orders from underworld overlord "Big Boy" to all his men to avoid bloodshed, Rico guns down crusading crime commissioner Alvin McClure during the robbery, with Joe as an aghast witness.

Rico accuses Sam of becoming soft and seizes control of his organization. Rival boss "Little Arnie" Lorch tries to have Rico killed, but Rico is only grazed. He and his gunmen pay Little Arnie a visit, after which Arnie hastily departs for Detroit. The Big Boy eventually gives Rico control of all of Chicago's Northside.

Rico becomes concerned that Joe knows too much about him. He warns Joe that he must forget about Ella and join him in a life of crime. Rico threatens to kill both Joe and Ella unless he accedes, but Joe refuses to give in. Ella calls Police Sergeant Flaherty and tells him Joe is ready to talk, just before Rico and his henchman Otero come calling. Rico finds, to his surprise, that he is unable to take his friend's life. When Otero tries to do the job himself, Rico wrestles the gun away from him, though not before Joe is wounded. Hearing the shot, Flaherty and another police officer give chase and injure and capture Otero. With information provided by Ella, Flaherty proceeds to crush Rico's organization.

Desperate and alone, Rico "retreats to the gutter from which he sprang." While hiding in a flophouse, he becomes enraged when he learns that Flaherty has called him a coward in the newspaper. He foolishly telephones the police to announce he is coming for him. The call is traced, and he is gunned down by Flaherty behind a billboard – an advertisement featuring dancers Joe and Ella – and, dying, utters his final words, "Mother of God, is this the end of Rico?"

Cast

 * Burt Young as Caesar Enrico "Rico" Bandello / "Little Caesar"
 * Patrick Swayze as Joe Massara
 * Meg Ryan as Ella Stassoff
 * Taylor Negron as Tony Passa
 * Danny Aiello as Big Boy
 * Ted Knight as Sergeant/Lieutenant Thomas Flaherty

Home Media

 * 1981 WCI Home Video VHS/Laserdisc
 * 1995 Warner Home Video VHS
 * 2000 Warner Home Video DVD
 * 2011 Warner Home Video Blu-ray Digibook
 * 2021 Warner Archive Blu-ray (reprint of 2011 release)