Review of City Streets (1931) by Graceann M — 04 Dec 2008

Sylvia Sidney, Gary Cooper and Guy Kibbee give excellent performances in this drama set in the gritty world of beer racketeering. Although the film suffers a bit from the plagues of early talkies, and Gary Cooper is still getting used to being in front of a camera, it is a winner due to Rouben Mamoulian's skill as a director. There is always a risk, with mobster dramas, of falling into the "yeah, Mugsy!" trap, and a bit of that happens here, but it is a minor annoyance. The violence is alluded to but not shown, and the personal relationships are what drive the story.

The climax is brilliantly staged, shot and acted. and, on a purely shallow level, I must say that Gary Cooper just might be the most gorgeous man of that era of film. When God was handing out good looks, Coop got in line a dozen times.