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Underworld

Play trailer Poster for Underworld Released Aug 20, 1927 1h 20m Crime Drama Play Trailer Watchlist
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90% Tomatometer 20 Reviews 87% Popcornmeter 2,500+ Ratings
Gangster kingpin Bull Weed (George Bancroft) rehabilitates his drunken lawyer, but complications arise when the lawyer falls for Bull's girlfriend.

Critics Reviews

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Richard Brody The New Yorker Sternberg's richly ornamental compositions-which are dense with shadows and objects that separate viewers from the action-suggest a willful distance from his characters. Sep 14, 2015 Full Review Variety Staff Variety There's a wallop right through and yet the film retains romance, clicks not a little on comedy and even whitewashes itself with a 'moral.' Mar 26, 2009 Full Review Fernando F. Croce Slant Magazine Josef von Sternberg's Underworld is a fascinating early cornerstone of both the director's worldview and the gangster genre. Rated: 3.5/4 Sep 18, 2007 Full Review Justine Smith Vague Visages Few filmmakers in the history of cinema have invoked the inherent eroticism of the image like Sternberg... Jun 6, 2024 Full Review Roy Chartier Billboard Many things combine to make Underworld an absorbing, spellbinding picture. The acting, direction, titles, photography, camera angles, story and action are a few of them. Mar 16, 2023 Full Review Carl Sandburg Chicago Daily News Underworld does for the sophisticated adult what football does for the college boy. And Bancroft achieves something of the herculean glory of a gory fullback, with Von Sternberg as his general, showing him the openings, guiding his raging course. Dec 14, 2021 Full Review Read all reviews

Audience Reviews

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Zachary V Having previously watched Howard Hawks' Scarface I was struck by how much of this film seems to influence the later one (I've since discovered that Underworld and Scarface share a screenwriter in Ben Hecht). The lit-up billboard with the words "The City is Yours" was an idea that clearly influenced "The World is Yours" in Scarface. There were several other plot elements the two films have in common, and perhaps the biggest difference between them is that Underworld is a silent picture and Scarface is a talkie. I would say that is a major part of what has made the latter a classic and the former largely forgotten to those who are not gangster or silent film afficionados. Overall, although I would say Scarface is the better picture, there are some compelling performances, cinematography and a nuanced portrayal of the conflict between love and loyalty in the love triangle. This makes for an interesting and at times compelling first step in a genre that has proven to be a perennial favorite throughout subsequent film history, the gangster film. Rated 3.5 out of 5 stars 07/23/25 Full Review Steve D Ok but there isn't much memorable here including the acting. Rated 3 out of 5 stars 02/20/24 Full Review david f A great silent film and the progenitor of the gangster film. Rated 4 out of 5 stars 03/31/23 Full Review Audience Member The best gangster movie ever made! Rated 5 out of 5 stars 02/26/23 Full Review Audience Member An underappreciated, late great of the silent era. Precedent setting for numerous crime films to come, some masterful moments of cinematography, with a great story and well formed characters. Rated 4 out of 5 stars 01/19/23 Full Review Audience Member An electrifying gangster picture focusing on a rivalry between to major gangsters in Chicago Bull Weed & Meaghan. Bull Weed's right hand man is a smart guy & beginning to fall in love with Weed's girl. Shot immaculately by Josef Von Sternberg this film has such a distinct visual flair with the aid of mood lighting and smoke. Moves fast & packs a punch this film is quite entertaining. Clive Brook (Rolls Royce [Weed's 2IC]) really pushes the story along. An interesting Silent Gangster Film. Rated 3.5 out of 5 stars 01/31/23 Full Review Read all reviews
Underworld

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Movie Info

Synopsis Gangster kingpin Bull Weed (George Bancroft) rehabilitates his drunken lawyer, but complications arise when the lawyer falls for Bull's girlfriend.
Director
Josef von Sternberg
Screenwriter
Charles Furthman, Robert N. Lee
Distributor
Paramount Pictures
Production Co
Paramount Pictures, Famous Players-Lasky Corporation
Genre
Crime, Drama
Release Date (Theaters)
Aug 20, 1927, Original
Release Date (DVD)
Apr 1, 2014
Runtime
1h 20m