Warner Brothers has already released The Warner Gangsters Collection, but since the studio made numerous gangster films, they have culled together the Tough Guys Collection.
Ballots or Bullets from 1936, stars Edward G. Robinson as an undercover cop and Humphrey Bogart as a mobster. The film is a rather predictable but fast paced story about racketeering.
City for Conquest from 1940, starring James Cagney and Ann Sheridan, is the story of a boxer and the various sacrifices he makes. Cagney’s performance here makes the viewer care about him.
Each Dawn I Die from 1939, starring Cagney and George Raft, is a prison film that’s too over-the-top for today’s tastes. But again, Cagney makes the film viewable.
G-Men from 1935, also stars Cagney as a government agent.
San Quentin from 1937, stars Pat O’Brien as the warden of California’s infamous prison. Humphrey Bogart portrays one of the infamous inmates. This picture seems a bit fake and terribly outdated. San Quentin is the weakest film in The Tough Guys Collection.
My favorite film in the Warner Bros. Tough Guys Collection is A Slight Case of Murder from 1938, starring Edward G. Robinson in a kind of parody of his gangster roles. The film begins as prohibition ends in 1933. Robinson plays mobster Remy Marko.
During prohibition, Marko and his gang run one of the biggest distilleries in the country and make a fortune selling beer. When prohibition ends, he decides to go legit and continue selling his brew; only he doesn’t drink so he doesn’t know how bad it tastes, and none of his gang have the guts to tell him. After four years, Remy is facing bankruptcy because nobody is buying his beer.
In the end, A Slight Case of Murder turns into a screwball comedy about a gangster’s attempt to go straight. The plot involves money, murder, and dopey hoods. Edward G. Robinson was a terrific actor who could handle almost any kind of role from tough and serious to light and frivolous. He handles the humor in A Slight Case of Murder by playing it straight and letting the dialogue take care of the laughs.
The video transfer of the films included in the Tough Guys Collection is quite good. The picture is clean and crisp. The black-and-white contrasts are strong and the definition is sharp. There is a small degree of grain in some shots of all the films, but this is very minimal.
All of the films come with a similar slate of extras, including Warner Night at the Movies newsreels, short subjects, cartoons, audio commentaries, new featurettes, and theatrical trailers. For fans of old gangster films, the Warner Bros. Tough Guys Collection will be a welcome addition to your library.
