Me, Gangster on AllMovie

Me, Gangster was director Raoul Walsh's third 1928 film -- and, according to some historians, the blueprint for such future Walsh crime dramas as Me and My Gal, The Roaring Twenties and White Heat. Told in the form of a diary, the story details the rise and fall of gangster boss Jimmy Williams, played by future serial favorite Don Terry. Shown to be a layabout and ne'er-do-well in his youth, Jimmy falls in with a gang of petty thieves, working his way up the professional ladder through a combination of brains and cold-blooded ruthlessness (not unlike the characters played by frequent Raoul Walsh collaborator James Cagney). He finally comes acropper when he tries to pull off a $50,000 heist by himself, which earns him a stiff jail term. The death of his beloved mother Lizzie (Stella Adams), combined with the good influence of heroine Mary Regan (June Collyer), prompts Jimmy to try to turn over a new leaf upon his arrest. Alas, he must now contend with his former gangland buddies, who don't cotton to "turncoats" and begin drawing up plans to put Jimmy "on the spot" for keeps. On the whole, Me Gangster is a bit more sentimental than one might expect from Raoul Walsh, but at least it's honest sentiment and doesn't weaken the picture as a whole. Filmed silent, Me, Gangster was released with a Fox Movietone music score.