The Mobster

After gaining critical attention with Machine Gun Kelly, director Roger Corman quickly followed up that historical gangster thriller with one set in the modern era. Told in flashback to a Senate investigating committee, it charts the rise and fall of gangland leader Joe Sante (Steve Cochran), from his lowly slum beginnings working a numbers racket and dealing drugs to becoming head of the syndicate. While the script is nowhere near as strong as Kelly, Corman expertly captures the grimy criminal atmosphere in credible broad strokes and with swift action pacing. Burlesque queen Lili St Cyr sings a song in a rare screen appearance.