The Purple Gang (1959)

Kind of an early, low level explotation film about the notorious Suger House Gang, also known as The Purple Gang, a group of mostly Jewish young gangersters who operated out of Detroit during prohibition (a major bootlegging drop off point from Canada). The nominal lead is Barry Sullivan as a crusaiding police lieutent, while a young Robert Blake gets 'the star turn' as William Joseph 'Honeyboy' Willard. Willard leads The Purple Gang to success, first in oposition to the mob, then as enforcers for the mob, then back on the mobs bad side again, or something like that I didn't follow it that well. It's not much of a movie, it has something of a poverty row feeling too it. The Purple Gang does some pretty nasty stuff, including the rap and murder of a lady psychologist who was trying to help them, by which I mean keep them out of juvi. The film has no sympathy for lax do gooder types, and when Lt. Sullivans wife is murderd by The Purple Gang, well Robert Blakes cowardly break down moment is not long in comming. I supose this could have been a good movie, it had some fair parts, but on the whole it had a hard time keeping my intreset, Poor