City Streets (1931) User Reviews

Visual mastery

[klg19 · 8/10 · 7 July 2005]

I saw this film last night at a "pre-Code" film festival, and I have to tell you that when Gary Cooper turned his head for his introductory close-up, the entire audience gasped. He was just that beautiful.

Cooper's looks aside, this film displays Rouben Mamoulian's directorial artistry to perfection. Wonderful scene-fades, creative camera angles, symbolic allusions--Mamoulian just keeps exploring the directorial medium and coming up with innovation.

This was Sylvia Sidney's first role in Hollywood, after her success on the New York stage, and she is just as lovely as a Gary Cooper leading lady ought to be. It's nice to see her in a role with a harder edge than many she was given--so often she looks like she's afraid she's about to be hit by someone.

There are lots of familiar faces in this film, including the wonderful Wynne Gibson. Most striking is Guy Kibbee, best known for playing fatuous rich men, as a grinning and mendacious hit-man.

There aren't nearly enough of these pre-Code films available on VHS or DVD, so if you can't find a pre-Code festival near you, try campaigning Turner Classic Movies for a broadcast! As for the reviewer who believes Gary Cooper was too stupid to have dialogue more complex than "Yep" or "Nope," he should perhaps consider Coop's performance in films such as "Mr Deeds Goes to Town" or "Meet John Doe." Although heaven knows anyone who looked that good shouldn't have to be smart as well.

Early gangster flick a pleasant surprise

[nnnn45089191 · 7/10 · 2 April 2007]

Clearly patterned after the first gangster movies that Warner produced the same year,Little Caesar (1931) and The Public Enemy (1931),this gangster movie is one of the better efforts I've seen. Although not quite in the same league as the previous mentioned classics, it has a powerful performance by young Sylvia Sidney.She's magnificent and delivers her lines more natural than perhaps anyone did at the time.Gary Cooper is better than usual at this stage in his career and shows signs of what would follow the next few years when he rose to the top. The movie has some fascinating villains in Paul Lukas (never seen him this detestable) and Guy Kibbee (what a shock to see him act the hoodlum).The direction of Rouben Mamoulian is very inventive,probably the first voice-over to show a persons thoughts appear in this movie. If you get the chance to see this little gangster flick, don't let the chance go by.

Strangely effective

[samhill5215 · 8/10 · 18 March 2011]

The first thing that stuck me as I was watching this gem was the lack of a sound track. Other than the club scene where a band is jamming there is no music at all. The introduction of sound in film was so recent that technique hadn't been fully developed yet. But the strange thing is that the dialog was enough to fill that void. It actually didn't even appear as a shortcoming. And another strange thing: the bad guys were played by actors who always play honorable characters, Paul Lukas and Guy Kibbee, and boy are they despicable. Very good at it too, especially Kibbee. I never thought of that jovial, ebullient character actor as able to bring it off but he does, and well. As for Lukas he is evil incarnate. There's plenty of other reasons to watch this one. The story is gripping. The camera work was way ahead of its time. Character development is superior. And I could go on and on. If there was ever a film deserving to be digitized this one is it.

"They all get it sooner or later."

[utgard14 · 7/10 · 20 July 2017]

Visually striking pre-code gangster picture starring Gary Cooper as a carnival sharpshooter who wants nothing to do with girlfriend Sylvia Sidney's father's bootlegging business until she is sent to prison and he needs money to help get her out. Cooper uses his "aw shucks" persona well here. Sidney is absolutely gorgeous and does a great job as the naive girl who grows up fast when she's betrayed by her own father. Paul Lukas and Guy Kibbee are probably two of the more unlikely gangsters to ever appear on screen, but both make their parts work to their strengths. Based on a story by Dashiell Hammett, with characters who have names like The Kid and Big Fella. But the story isn't the main selling point. That would be Lee Garmes' camera-work and Ruben Mamoulian's direction. It's a beautiful-looking picture with some interesting techniques on display that are very impressive when you consider this was released in 1931. Mamoulian's jogging at a time when other directors are still learning to walk. One of the best gangster pictures not released by Warner Bros., who pretty much had the market cornered on that genre during the 1930s.

Nice movie!

[f-figliomeni · 6/10 · 30 September 2019]

City Lights was a discovery even though I am not quite sure if in a positive or negative way. Even though it is a pre-code movie, I founded the beginning a bit slower than what I expected. When I watch movies, I make sure that nothing is distracting me, but, while watching this movie, I often times found myself unfocused on the story itself. Although I didn't particularly enjoyed how the story started, I certainly agree on the basis that the movie has a noticeable importance and presents remarkable innovations. City Streets was released only two years after the introduction of sound movies and right before the Code was introduced. I found very innovative the scene of the ride when "the Kid" race the train keeping a high speed. The fast sequence of the scenes, the movements of the camera, and the rising of the suspense made this part of the movie very enjoyable.

Gary Cooper with a gat? Smile when you say that!

[AlsExGal · 7/10 · 30 May 2019]

This is an odd film for several reasons. For one it is a gangster film made at Paramount, home of the sophisticated continental comedies and dramas. Also, you have Gary Cooper in a modern dress role but with that Montana twang on full display.

Gary Cooper plays "The Kid", a sharp shooter at a circus. His best girl is Nan Cooley (Sylvia Sydney). I can't say why they are going together, because Nan seems to dislike all of "The Kid's" outlooks and plans for the future. Nan's dad is a gangster played by an oddly cast Guy Kibbee (Pop), who is usually associated with being the comic relief over at Warner Brothers.

Nan helps "Pop" out whenever he wants to get rid of a getaway car or dispose of a weapon, but then one night her ruse doesn't work and she winds up being sent up the river for possession of a gun used in a murder done by dear old dad. And apparently "pop" only makes weak attempts to get her out of jail, although while she is inside he does use the opportunity to recruit the kid into the beer racket because of his handiness with a weapon.

Nan gets out and for some reason now sees The Kid as irresistible - a real about face in her attitude with no reason given. However she is very upset that dear old dad has her beau in with the rackets. Oh, and "The Big Fellow" (Paul Lukas), apparent head of the rackets, wants to throw over his current long time girlfriend and replace her with Nan, regardless of what Nan and the Kid think about it. Complications ensue.

The story is really conventional gangster lore - nothing to write home about. What makes it interesting is Mamoulian's direction and shots. He likes to linger on faces or even a stuffed bird. He's not really an "action packed" kind of director. There is great atmosphere with the prohibition era night spots taken over by the rowdy gangsters and shadows on the dark streets.

What makes it fun are some of the inconsistencies. The urban shots are done so that you feel like you are in a big city of the Northeast US. People in coats, talk of the cold, etc. But then the final chase scene comes and you see palm trees, canyons - it is obvious you are in southern California. And what is Cooper's character's real name? Everybody just calls him "Kid". That is who he is billed as.

I'd say watch it and just have fun with it. It certainly is different from a Warner Brothers gangster picture of the same era.

Gangland classic

[MikeMagi · 10/10 · 12 June 2013]

Only two years after the introduction of sound, "City Streets" combined innovation and expressionism into one of the most riveting gangster movies of the era. So why isn't it as well known as "Scarface" or "Public Enemy," for example? Because the movie so outraged the Hayes office that Paramount was forbidden from re-releasing it for the next several decades. Fortunately, Turner Classic Movies has a pristine print which showcases the ingenuity of Rouben Mamoulian's direction (and his brilliant establishing shots,) the genius of Lee Garmes' shadowy camera-work and the suspense of the screenplay based on a Dasheill Hamlett story. That tale portrays gangland as a place where alliances are fleeting, where your best pal one moment is the same guy waiting to gun you down in an alley. Typical is Guy Kibbee, in a total turnabout from the affable old roue he so frequently played, as a smiling, sauntering hit man for hire. Heading the cast are two relative newcomers (at the time,) Gary Cooper as an ambitious sharpshooter known only as "The Kid" and Sylvia Sydney as his gullible young girl friend who swears that the mob will protect her -- until she winds up in the prison sweat shop. If you're a movie buff or simply want to see just how good (and ahead of its time) a movie from 1931 can be, catch "City Streets."

No hard feelings

[AAdaSC · 6/10 · 12 May 2019]

Gary Cooper (kid) works on a stall at a fairground and he's pretty handy with a gun. His girlfriend Sylvia Sidney (Nan) wants him to be more ambitious and she can help with this as her father Guy Kibbee (Pop) is a gangster working the illegal booze market and it pays well. All Coop has to do is work for him. But he's not keen. Then, we get a murder and Sylvia is in trouble. Coop wants to help.

It's a gangster film with a love story at its heart as opposed to just straightforward gangs shooting each other and the police turning up and winning in the end. It's a romance and you want to see a happy ending but given the setting for the film, ie, gangland, it might not work out that way. I felt the ending could have been a more tense affair.

It's enjoyable, the cast are good and I enjoyed Cooper and his cheeky shooting at the beginning of the film. Not so much the showing off part to Sylvia but that extra shot he fires when his boss starts to tell him off. Look out for it coz that's the funny one!

Not a Minute Wasted!

[JohnHowardReid · 10/10 · 17 July 2008]

I thought I'd witnessed every wrinkle the crime/gangster flick had to offer, but the Garrett-Marcin-Hammett combination pull off some genuine thrills and surprises here, thanks to the inventively forceful direction by Mamoulian, the atmospheric photography by Lee Garmes, plus remarkably sharp film editing and flawless special effects. Brilliant acting helps too. Coop gives one of his most convincing performances as the reticent hayseed-turned-fearless bootlegger (the sort of character progression he was to repeat in other roles such as Sergeant York). Miss Sidney (pictured center) in her first major role is also an eye-opener. The principals receive great support from Paul Lukas, Wynne Gibson and Stanley Fields as the heavies, and even from Robert Homans' hard-as-nails detective. The movie has obviously been realized on an extensive budget which is brilliantly deployed in its realistic, crowd-filled sets.

Guy Kibbee as a sociopathic gangster?!

[planktonrules · 6/10 · 31 January 2011]

I've got to say that "City Streets" has the distinction of being a movie with the strangest casting decisions I can think of...aside from having John Wayne play Genghis Khan in "The Conqueror" or Katharine Hepburn playing a Chinese woman in "Dragon Seed". In this film, Guy Kibbee of all people plays a cold-hearted gangster. Usually in films he plays sweet dim-witted characters or, at worst, bumbling crooks (like in "Mr. Smith Goes to Washington"). Yet, oddly, the cherub-faced Kibbee plays a horrible soul-less sort of fellow in "City Streets"! For fans of classic Hollywood films, this is quite a shock. But this is not the only shock. Gary Cooper is cast as a gangster as well as was Paul Lucas!! Not a single one of these fine actors seemed right in these roles--mostly because their later screen personas were so different. Plus, imagine Hungarian-accented Lucas as an American gangster--he sounded almost like Bela Lugosi (a fellow Hungarian)! I guess Paramount was trying to play catch-up with Warner and their recent gangster epics ("Little Caesar" and "The Public Enemy").

So, aside from the bizarro casting, is the film worth seeing? Well, yes and definitely no. The film is pretty good in some ways. Like the two aforementioned films, it is tough--Pre-Code tough! The gangsters are truly awful people and the film is quite gritty. I liked this a lot. However, and here is the big problem, the ending is just awful...really, really awful. While it doesn't totally ruins the film, it sure takes away significantly from the enjoyment value!

Wanna know how it ends? Well, after becoming a big-wig in the mob and a cold-hearted galoot, Gary Cooper just announces that he's quitting and the film ends!! Seriously....it ends exactly like this! Uggh!

Incredibly Modern

[reply-box · 10/10 · 22 August 2005]

City Streets is amazingly modern technically speaking for a movie made in 1931. Also who could not be mesmerized, enthralled by Gary Cooper's powerful magnetism, galvanizing the audience attention. The plot is quite elaborate and clear. The scenarios, decor, are exceptional in every detail. All the actors are above average. I keep guessing how the director and his staff, including editing, sound, lighting, photography, could have been so brilliant. I couldn't find a flaw, understanding that the scenes in the road(bumpy ride) with the large motion pictures screen on the background was the best they could get in 1931. All in all I found this movie superb and so much alive thanks to Gary Cooper charisma.

City Streets

[alexadaniels-25648 · 7/10 · 7 February 2019]

I thought the movie City Street was a very well put together film, especially considering the time period it was made in. I would consider this film to be romance movie, while having action and crime as well, appealing to a wide variety of audiences. The use of sound stood out to me throughout the movie, and I found certain times more notable. One example would be the dramatic volume level of footsteps through out the movie. Another would be the pitch and sound of louder everyday things, such as the telephone, bells, alarms and sirens. The camera angles also changed frequently, such as close ups or larger range shots, and the lighting changes as well. My favorite scene was when the camera started as a close up on her face, then slowly the camera backed up and you could see more of her in the shot, and you see that one of her eyes is squeezed shut, then you see her whole face, and she has on a very serious straight face. Next you here a gun shot and the camera view is no longer on her and you see the targets she was shooting at.

Meeh

[m-sano · 4/10 · 10 February 2017]

I went into this movie with high hopes that it would become another on my never ending list of favorites. Sadly, I was wrong... I didn't hate it, but I wasn't thrilled with it either. I found my mind wandering and I thought some of the scenes really dragged on. The two redeeming qualities I found in this movie were the use of the character's shadows in filming, and the way Big Fellow dies. The shadows created this mood that kept me more interested than I would have been if they didn't film the movie the way they did. The acting wasn't anything really special and the end of the story was anticlimactic. I think the movie would have been way better if they tried harder to make a better ending. I can't say I have much of a desire to watch this again.

Sylvia Sidney's face!

[jimddddd · 5 May 2012]

I've only seen a couple of Sylvia Sidney's early films, but they all seem to feature at least one closeup of her face that reveals what's really going on in the picture. In Hitchcock's "Sabotage," there's a fascinating shot of her working at a theater box office when a guy she likes suddenly shows up unannounced. Hitchcock went in tight on her face as it slowly changes from a blank expression to a glow of sheer joy. I've never seen anything like it in any other film. And here, in "City Streets," the director dollies in and lingers on her face for a full minute while Hollywood cinema's first "voiceover" tells us what's going on in her thoughts. But really, the words are superfluous, because her brown, luminous eyes tell us everything. Sidney was perhaps too exotic and unconventional to compete for major stardom with the Clara Bow flappers and Jean Harlow blonds of her time. She was also difficult to get along with, according to some sources. But she is more timeless than most. Dashiell Hammett, who wrote "City Streets," said she was the best part of the movie. For me, she's the best part of any movie she's in.

An art movie disguised as a gangster movie

[gridoon2024 · 6/10 · 24 April 2018]

The story is cliched and a bit vague (good guy and good girl get corrupted and sucked into the criminal world around them), but director Rouben Mamoulian isn't very interested in the story; this is really an art movie that follows the surface guidelines of a gangster movie. Pictorially striking and well-acted (especially by Guy Kibbee, whom I've never seen playing such a sleazeball before), it could be classified as an early attempt at avant-garde cinema, decades before avant-garde cinema was in vogue. **1/2 out of 4.

middle issues

[SnoopyStyle · 6/10 · 7 August 2020]

Nan Cooley (Sylvia Sidney) falls for carnival worker The Kid (Gary Cooper). He shows off his gallery shooting skills and gets fired. She offers him a job with her racketeer father Pop Cooley but he refuses. Pop kills a rival and leaves Nan holding the gun. While Nan is sent to prison, The Kid joins Pop's crew.

I'm going with this expecting The Kid to do a deal with the DA to infiltrate and convict Pop's crew and get Nan released. That's the much better story progression. I like Nan's journey but I don't like The Kid's journey. Once Nan gets released, the relationship is lost since he has no romantic reason to stay in the gang. I stop liking The Kid until later in the movie. The relationship does recover and it is a pretty good gangster flick overall. The middle has a few issues.

A surprisingly well-made gangster film with heart

[maxofly · 7/10 · 19 September 2016]

I have to say, I underestimated this movie at first. I didn't think it would be bad, but I also didn't think it would be Citizen Kane. After I watched it though, I was amazed at how immersed I was in it. First off, I really do admire the set and how it had a no-ire feel to it. The shadows accented the world they lived in as their own. I also really liked the chemistry between the Kid (Gary Cooper) and Nan Cooley (Sylvia Sidney). They feel like an actual couple whenever they're on screen and they seem to go through the challenges and trials of an actual relationship. It would have been very easy to make them just in love and happy at that time considering film- making was still relatively new, but they didn't and I really admire how three dimensional they are because of it. If I did have a problem, it would be with the time period and the ending. The time period is at times a bit distracting because it just dates the movie even more and the ending is, dare I say, kind of clichéd with how happy it is. But these are just nitpicks because the era itself can be fascinating to people that were never in it and the so-called cliché wasn't really a cliché yet, so it gets a pass. The glue that holds it together, at least for me, is the relationship between the two leads. And to me, they're worth the watch. See for yourself and give it a shot.

Stranded In The City, He Takes Up a Life of Crime

[bkoganbing · 9/10 · 21 September 2010]

I was lucky indeed to come up with a copy of this classic that is sadly not available. This was Rouben Mamoulian's first screen hit after the critical misfire of his first film Applause.

This was Gary Cooper's one and only film in the gangster genre though he did run into a few gangsters in Ball Of Fire. Of course his western persona is not one you would think would fit into the gangster film, but his character of a rodeo cowboy who was stranded in the big city and was now making a living at a shooting gallery, presumably in Coney Island rings true enough.

Coop's skill as a marksman is noticed by his girlfriend Sylvia Sydney who tries to interest him in going into the beer racket. But her own stepfather Guy Kibbee gets her involved in the murder of Stanley Fields and she takes a two year fall as an accomplice. In the meantime while Sylvia ponders the error of her ways in the joint, Cooper who was reluctant when she was out has now joined with Kibbee and is now a confidante of the big boss Paul Lukas.

Lukas is a suave and menacing gangster in one of his earliest sound roles. Guy Kibbee who usually played buffoons in later films at Warner Brothers and MGM will be quite the revelation as a really slimy character. Later on Kibbee was so typecast he could never have been given a part like this which he performs so well.

Mamoulian gets top flight performances from his whole cast. Cooper and Sydney are great in the leads. Mamoulian had great help from Dashiell Hammett who wrote his only original screenplay for City Streets. And special phrase must also go to Wynne Gibson who plays Lukas's moll and when she's scorned, she takes a terrible vengeance.

Paramount was not a studio known for gangster films, later on they did get their own gangster star in George Raft and Gary Cooper was not known for this genre. But in this case Paramount gave him one of his best early sound features. Do not miss this and demand that TCM broadcast it.

Surprisingly enjoyed

[s-steele · 7/10 · 23 October 2019]

I am not a fan of gangster type films. I'm not quite sure what it is, but they usually do not interest me. Despite this, I did enjoy this movie a lot. It was clear patterned after other gangster films of that time, which is to be expected. There was sharp editing and detailed special effects that helped create genuine thrills and surprises. What struck me the most was the lack of a sound track. Other than the band playing in the one scene there is no underlying music along with the dialog. Usually this leaves a film feeling slightly empty to me. However, the dialog used was plenty to keep my attention. Another thing that surprised me was the inclusion of so many female characters. In these gangster films, there is usually a male dominance and it was nice to see both major and minor female characters get screen time and dialog.

A MUST for grit and noir fans!!!!!!!!!

[Gloede_The_Saint · 8/10 · 1 September 2009]

If it had been made 2 years later it would have been BANNED! The number one MUST SEE recommendation of the day!. The best Rouben Mamoulian film I have seen this far (have but have not yet seen J+H).

There's no wonder why this film got less than 200 votes. A bigger greyzone that could not care less about what's proper would not be seen again until the 60's. As morally ambiguous and dark as 70's grit but with a certain charm as well. Of course this had to lay low in the later 30's and sadly it does not appear to have been re-discovered.

Seriously. This got it all. Great actors: Gary Cooper, Sylvia Sidney and the this time not so lovable Guy Kibbee. And a mighty good director. This far I haven't been RM's biggest fans but I have liked his films a lot and with this he steps into a new league. One of the best 30's films I have ever seen! This is something I never thought even existed! 9.5/10

The most predictable Mob

[collegegirl5180 · 6/10 · 13 March 2019]

Overall, this film lives up to the expectations I had for it. I think the plot was way too basic, especially because most love story/gang movies all consist of a good person turning bad for someone they love. The beginning of the movie set a good platform for Nan and The Kid's relationship and showed their true love, which in my opinion helped develop and explain some of the choices made throughout the movie. The character development in this movie is also impressive, given that The Kid was able to change his ways so quickly, while still displaying his true character behind the violence of the mob. All the characters really played a role in making this movie what it was, and I feel as though the scenes, and what was said was very thought out, rather than places to fill space. The party scene also contributed to the movie, being that the camera and characters made you feel as if you were a part of the party, instead of a camera looking in. Despite the predictability of this film, the characters ability to be more than just actors, but actually become their role made the film as successful as it was.

It's not just Warners who made brilliant crime films!

[1930s_Time_Machine · 8/10 · 23 February 2023]

It's always a risk watching a film from 1931. Most I've seen are terrible: static, stilted and stagey. A few are good and a handful such as BLONDE CRAZY, PUBLIC ENEMY or MIRACLE WOMAN are fantastic....this is one of those: it's fantastic.

CITY STREETS is class! It's an exceptionally well-produced, well-directed, well-photographed and well-acted picture. With a story by Dashiell Hammett, you're guaranteed a riveting hard-boiled crime story with a dash of romance. With direction from Rouben Mamoullian, your guaranteed style and tension, empathy with the characters and genuine excitement. Added to this mix, along with a healthy Paramount production budget, the cinematographer is Lee Garmes, who makes this movie look amazing - even ninety years later, I cannot think of anything which could make this visually more impressive.

Personally, I'm not a fan of Gary Cooper's cold and stoic style so I was surprised how absolutely perfect his approach works is in this. Also, considering it's her first starring role, Sylvia Sidney is also excellent as the daughter of a minor mobster. Both hers and Cooper's characters are far from perfect, they're just kind of normal. They are real people, ordinary people so you can understand why they do what they do. It doesn't take you too long to realize that you've grown to like these two. What is so refreshing - and not always that common in very old films (and for that matter, in very new films), is seeing believable, real-life characters who aren't made out to be just 100% the good guy or 100% the bad guy.

A good example of this is Guy Kibbee. Long before he became the loveable befuddled fool, typically being chased around a bedroom by Joan Blondell in her underwear (an apex of anyone's career, or indeed life if you ask me) he was a proper actor and with a top director like Mamoullian, a good actor! In this he's actually the baddie and a really unpleasant one to boot but because his character is so well-rounded and authentically written, it's impossible to hate him.....incidentally, he's still called Pop (Contractually I think, in 50% of all his pictures, he had to be called Pop)

City Streets Review

[kdibiase64 · 7/10 · 1 February 2017]

This was an extremely stylish film. The cinematography, while a bit amateurish and constrained by today's standards, does a good job of establishing a dreary yet slick feeling. Gary Cooper is very captivating as "The Kid," and the rest of the cast does an admirable job as well. I would say that some of the outdoor scenes weren't very well lit, which did detract from my enjoyment somewhat as I think it wasn't a style choice so much as poor shot composition. At other times, especially indoors or in nighttime scenes, the lighting is much better. Another complaint I have was that the ending was a bit abrupt and bland. Other than that, I enjoyed watching it.

It was alright

[morrjack · 3/10 · 6 February 2019]

I really enjoy watching movies, especially ones with action and a story. I don't think that this movie had any of that. Gang and Mafia movies have a lot to work with. And I didn't see that in this movie. The basic plot of this film was that a man joined the mafia to get his girlfriend out of prison, and that's it, there were no shootouts, no signature mafia climaxes, nothing else happened. We don't even see anyone getting shot, just after shots of a dead person or just a floating hat. This movie is so basic the IMDB synopsis is "Man joins a gang to free his girlfriend from prison." That's it, just 10 words. Would not watch again.