Donate & keep LugaTv alive
Johnny Lovo rises to the head of the bootlegging crime syndicate on the south side of Chicago following the murder of former head, Big Louis Costillo. Johnny contracted Big Louis bodyguard, Tony Camonte, to make the hit on his boss. Tony becomes Johnnys second in command, and is not averse to killing anyone who gets in his and Johnnys way. As Tony is thinking bigger than Johnny and is not afraid of anyone or anything, Tony increasingly makes decisions on his own instead of following Johnnys orders, especially in not treading on the north side run by an Irish gang led by OHara, of whom Johnny is afraid. Tonys murder spree increases, he taking out anyone who stands in his and Johnnys way of absolute control on the south side, and in Tonys view absolute control of the entire city. Tonys actions place an unspoken strain between Tony and Johnny to the point of the two knowing that they cant exist in their idealized world with the other. Tonys ultimate downfall may be one of two women in his life: Poppy, Johnnys girlfriend, to whom Tony is attracted; and Tonys 18-year-old sister Cesca, who is self-professed to be older mentally than her years much to Tonys chagrin; he will do anything to protect her innocence. Cesca ultimately comes to the realization that she is a lot more similar to her brother than she thought.
The prohibition of alcohol has led to a flourishing market of illegal liquors, dominated by organized crime. In Chicago the gangs control different parts of the city. As long as each gang limits its activities to its own district, there is peace between them. This balance of power is shattered, when bodyguard Tony Camonte kills his boss Louis Costillo and joins another gang. Tony helps his new boss, Johnny Lovo, to expand his market share by going into districts controlled by other gangs, kill their leaders, and force pubs to buy illegal beer from Lovo instead. The situation quickly develops into an all-out war between the gangs. Tony wants to be the boss of the whole city. He starts disobeying Lovo, takes over his mistress Poppy, and finally kills Lovo. Tony is now the king, but he has one weak point: his overprotection of his 18-year-old sister Cesca. He forbids her to flirt with or date men. When she breaks his commandments, he gets furious and forces her back home. In those situations he loses his watchfulness, makes mistakes, and is vulnerable for attacks from other gangs and the police.
Paul Muni
Tony
Ann Dvorak
Cesca
Karen Morley
Poppy
Osgood Perkins
Lovo
C. Henry Gordon
Guarino
George Raft
Rinaldo
Vince Barnett
Angelo
Boris Karloff
Gaffney
Purnell Pratt
Publisher
Tully Marshall
Managing Editor
Inez Palange
Tony's Mother
Edwin Maxwell
Detective Chief
Henry Armetta
Pietro - Barber
Gus Arnheim
Orchestra Leader
Eugenie Besserer
Citizens Committee Member
Maurice Black
Jim - Headwaiter
William A. Boardway
Nightclub Patron
William Burgess
Judge (alternate ending)
Related Movies
Donate & keep LugaTv alive