AllMovie

A terrific B-movie, The Rise and Fall of Legs Diamond is no more faithful to fact than most Hollywood biopics, but that doesn't matter. What's important is the sheer electricity that surges through this little foray into gangsterdom. While the elements of the screenplay are certainly familiar, Legs transcends those elements thanks to a ruthlessness that is present in every scene and that mirrors the ruthlessness of the title character. Director Budd Boetticher doesn't try to soften Legs, doesn't try to make him a likeable character. He's a sociopath, someone who will stop at nothing and will use anyone and everyone to get what he wants, and without a moment's hesitation. There's almost a gleeful abandon to the director's work, a black comedy approach to the material that gives it a tremendous energy. He is aided enormously by Ray Danton's spot-on performance. Moving with grace and agility, a panther on the prowl, Danton is all amoral cunning and "to-hell-with it" attitude; even when standing still, he practically leaps from the screen, a nervous energy infusing even his stillest moments. There's also good work from Warren Oates and the rest of the supporting cast, and Lucien Ballard's cinematography is sensational.