"I Mobster" was bottom of the barrel gangster film starring fading actor Steve Cochran and directed by Roger Corman. The ever cost conscious Corman Brothers followed their pattern of hiring largely over the hill actors to play in their films. .This one is no exception.
Cochran plays Joe Sante who is an ambitious wannabe gangster. We follow his rise from a street wise 12 year old through his teen age years to adulthood. With the exception of the 12 year old, Cochran plays each stage of his life looking the same 40 year old actor. His parents, his long suffering mother (Celia Lovsky) who begs him to live a normal life and his father (John Mylong) who despises his life style look to be way too old to play the young Sante's parents. In spite of all of this, Joe rises within the mob to become the boss of his former mentor Black Frankie Udino (Robert Strauss).
Joe is attracted to the virginal Teresa Porter (Lita Milan) who also tries to reform him. Her brother Ernie (John Brinkley) is given a job by Joe but takes to the high life and drugs. Joe is forced to kill the rebellious Ernie during a confrontation. Joe gains the approval of mob boss Paul Moran (Grant Withers - in his final film) and becomes a big man. Teresa, distraught over her brother's death, throws up her hands and becomes Joe's moll.
Frankie tells Joe that Moran has put out a hit on him and that he has been given the job. Frankie advises Joe to hit Moran first...which he does. Later, when Joe is called before a bargain basement Congressional committee, the mob bosses become nervous. Joe and Teresa try to flee but are cornered by "Cherry Nose" Sirago, a rival since boyhood and are unable to escape. Returning to his apartment he meets Frankie who had supposedly set up Joe's escape and....................................................
Lili St. Cyr who was a famous stripper in the 50s gives a "G" rated performance during a nightclub scene. It was hard to get a sense of a large criminal syndicate from this film or of Joe's meteoric rise to power. I guess that was due to the limited budget. Steve Cochran's career was on the decline mostly because of his high living and womanizing but turns in a creditable performance nonetheless. Lita Milan's thick accent gets in the way of her performance. Robert Strauss steals the picture in my opinion, as the life long gangster Frankie.
Too many holes in the story.
Cochran plays Joe Sante who is an ambitious wannabe gangster. We follow his rise from a street wise 12 year old through his teen age years to adulthood. With the exception of the 12 year old, Cochran plays each stage of his life looking the same 40 year old actor. His parents, his long suffering mother (Celia Lovsky) who begs him to live a normal life and his father (John Mylong) who despises his life style look to be way too old to play the young Sante's parents. In spite of all of this, Joe rises within the mob to become the boss of his former mentor Black Frankie Udino (Robert Strauss).
Joe is attracted to the virginal Teresa Porter (Lita Milan) who also tries to reform him. Her brother Ernie (John Brinkley) is given a job by Joe but takes to the high life and drugs. Joe is forced to kill the rebellious Ernie during a confrontation. Joe gains the approval of mob boss Paul Moran (Grant Withers - in his final film) and becomes a big man. Teresa, distraught over her brother's death, throws up her hands and becomes Joe's moll.
Frankie tells Joe that Moran has put out a hit on him and that he has been given the job. Frankie advises Joe to hit Moran first...which he does. Later, when Joe is called before a bargain basement Congressional committee, the mob bosses become nervous. Joe and Teresa try to flee but are cornered by "Cherry Nose" Sirago, a rival since boyhood and are unable to escape. Returning to his apartment he meets Frankie who had supposedly set up Joe's escape and....................................................
Lili St. Cyr who was a famous stripper in the 50s gives a "G" rated performance during a nightclub scene. It was hard to get a sense of a large criminal syndicate from this film or of Joe's meteoric rise to power. I guess that was due to the limited budget. Steve Cochran's career was on the decline mostly because of his high living and womanizing but turns in a creditable performance nonetheless. Lita Milan's thick accent gets in the way of her performance. Robert Strauss steals the picture in my opinion, as the life long gangster Frankie.
Too many holes in the story.