Rent The Brothers Rico (1957)
3.4 of 5 from 54 ratings
1h 30min
- General info
- Available formats
- Synopsis:
- Eddie Rico (Richard Conte), a former accountant for crime-boss Sid Kubik (Larry Gates), has gone straight, with the blessings of Kubik who owed his life to Rico's mother (Argentina Brunetti) when she stopped a bullet meant for him. Eddie and his wife, Alice (Dianne Foster), are looking to adopt a baby when Eddie learns that the syndicate is looking for his brother, so they can get him out of the country before the police can find and question him. Eddie finds him, but the mobsters double-cross him and kill his brother just as they had killed another brother of Eddie's. Eddie decides to go to the police but Kubik puts out the word to get him also.
- Actors:
- Richard Conte, Dianne Foster, Kathryn Grant, Larry Gates, James Darren, Argentina Brunetti, Lamont Johnson, Harry Bellaver, Paul Picerni, Paul Dubov, Rudy Bond, Richard Bakalyan, William Phipps, Mimi Aguglia, George Blagoi, Bonnie Bolding, Nesdon Booth, Marvin Bryan, George Cisar, Dean Cromer
- Directors:
- Phil Karlson
- Producers:
- William Goetz, Lewis J. Rachmil
- Writers:
- Lewis Meltzer, Ben Perry, Georges Simenon, Dalton Trumbo
- Genres:
- Classics, Drama, Thrillers
- Collections:
- A Brief History of French Poetic Realism, A Brief History of Film...
- BBFC:
- Release Date:
- 27/09/2021
- Run Time:
- 92 minutes
- Languages:
- English LPCM Mono
- Subtitles:
- English Hard of Hearing
- Formats:
- Pal
- Aspect Ratio:
- Widescreen 1.85:1
- Colour:
- B & W
- BLU-RAY Regions:
- B
- Bonus:
- Audio commentary with Jason A Ney on 'The Brothers Rico'
- Introduction to 'The Brothers Rico' by Martin Scorsese
- A Bracing Brutality: Nick Pinkerton on the films of Phil Karlson
- The March of Time: 'G-Men at War' (1942): documentary short focused on the efforts of the FBI Routine Job: A Story of Scotland Yard (1946): short film following the day-to-day work of Scotland Yard
- Original Theatrical Trailer
- Image Gallery
- Six comedy shorts starring the Three Stooges, lampooning the tropes and themes of the features
- World Premiere on Blu-ray
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Reviews (1) of The Brothers Rico
Fifties Gangsters. - The Brothers Rico review by Steve
The gangster films of the 1950s represent the growing influence of organised crime in postwar America. The criminals are not called the mafia, but that is who they are. Richard Conte plays a former accountant for the organisation who makes a new beginning in Florida and intends to start a family with his lovely wife (Dianne Foster).
Only you can never really leave. The mafia makes him an offer he can’t refuse- to seek out his brothers who are suspected of betrayal. Though Conte is a classic dupe and it’s in b&w, this isn’t film noir. It’s shot in bright daylight. The fashions, apartments, air travel and the cars belong to the affluent Eisenhower period.
This is more like a proto-60s gangster film. The vision of the mob as a parasite insidiously devouring its legitimate capitalist host is extremely plausible. They are embedded. There is nowhere for the eldest Rico brother to turn. At least until the unrealistic Hollywood ending, probably insisted upon by the production code.
Conte's role is paramount. Everyone else is in support. Larry Gates is best as the ruthless, duplicitous mafia fixer. There’s a fine script and the sound mix is sophisticated for its time. It has been forgotten because of the many more violent and stylish mafia films to come. But it feels like a landmark.
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