Skunkyrate Gripping story with well-crafted characters

ChicDragon It's a mild crowd pleaser for people who are exhausted by blockbusters.

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

Payno I think this is a new genre that they're all sort of working their way through it and haven't got all the kinks worked out yet but it's a genre that works for me.

Richard Chatten After a run of intelligent and highly-regarded colour westerns, director Budd Boetticher made a remarkable about turn with this classic recreation of the roaring twenties. The Production Code was by 1960 losing its iron grip on Hollywood, and 'The Rise and Fall of Legs Diamond' came at just the right moment to recapture both the breezy amorality of the pre-Code crime films of thirty years earlier, while Lucien Ballard's crisp black & white photography vividly evokes the look of the era.The absurdly good-looking Ray Danton is unforgettable in the lead, and the amused charm he brings to the part rather subverts the film's message that he owed his fall to his lack of basic humanity, since you've spent most the film enthusiastically rooting for him

Nazi_Fighter_David Boetticher viewed his heroes, trapped in the past and doomed to wander, with no more sentimentality than his outlaws, who try, often hopelessly, to forget their criminal ways and settle down… His darkest film of all, however, was "The Rise and Fall of Legs Diamond," in which the sun-baked desert is replaced by a dark, claustrophobic urban nightmare… Boetticher's psychopathic hood, played with relentless energy by Ray Danton, is a totally amoral figure whose lust for power leads him to destroy even his brother in order to protect himself… Fast, cruel and violent, the film is one of the cinema's bleakest visions of unrestrained ambition….

Infofreak I'd never heard a thing about this one before I put it in my video player. I knew Warren Oates (one of my favourite character actors - 'The Shooting', 'The Wild Bunch', 'Two-Lane Blacktop', 'Bring Me The Head Of Alfredo Garcia',etc.) was in the supporting cast and that was enough for me to give it a go. I know absolutely nothing about the real life exploits of 1930s gangster Jack 'Legs' Diamond, so this movie is more than likely utter fiction, but hey, I didn't watch it for a history lesson, I watched it to be entertained, and it certainly did that! It's a terrific picture, very cool and constantly engaging. Oates plays Legs' sickly "lunger" brother Eddie and he's very good, as are the three sexy women in Legs' life (Karen Steele, Elaine Stewart and a young Dyan Cannon). There are also several familiar faces in the supporting cast that you'll recognize from half forgotten old movies , but Ray Danton completely steals the film as Diamond. I'm very surprised after watching this that Danton didn't go on to be a major star as he is very charismatic and a credible actor. If you like crime movies try and find 'The Rise And Fall Of Legs Diamond'. It may be obscure but it's a really good b-picture and not to be overlooked.

Allen J. Duffis (sataft-2) For the record, this film is historically inaccurate: not for the events, but for the true life character portrayals and interactions.For instance, there is no evidence in the record of the time that Arnold (The Big Bankroll) Rothstein ever formally met with Jack "Legs" Diamond. Nor is there any record of Diamond having anything to do with Rothstein's girlfriend or his gangland assassination.Despite these gaps in historical fact, this is one of the most highly entertaining ( of the 1960's crop) of films ever made of that era. In fact many film critics hold to the opinion that most, if not all, of the gangster films of the sixties, were poor attempts to copy the style and success of this one. The production is tightly written, well paced and beautifully filmed by a director (Bud Boetticher) who knew his way around black and white photography. And they couldn't have picked a better subject of the Prohibition Era than Jack "Legs" Diamond.Jack Diamond was not called "Legs" because he worked for a short time as a dancer, but for the fact that he was initially a highly successful 'snatch and run' thief in the garment district. But he did eventually get caught and served a stint in prison. But forget the historical inaccuracies and enjoy this never boring gangster film.Ray Danton, one of the most highly underrated actors of his time, gives a riveting fast paced portrayal of Diamond that will be hard to surpass. Not only is he believable in the outrageous stunts he pulls, but he just as easily exposes a manic and tragic side to his character as well: all without missing a beat.This unusual film also allows you to see some of the screens most memorable character actors at their best. But most of all, you get to see two soon to be famous actors on their way up.This was actress Dyan Cannon's first film, in a memorable role as the character,Dixie. And soon to be veteran character Warren Oates makes his third appearance in the movies as "Legs" Diamond's brother, Eddie. A careful study his early acting skills in this role, clearly defines why he went on to become one of the most endearing and recognizable character actors of all time.Trust me on this one, fans. Whether you like Depression Era gangster films or not, you will be constantly entertained by this one. Don't miss it!