Illegal (1955)

Another Great EG Robinson Film

     

I am a huge fan of EG Robinson. This is one of the few films that he did, which I had not seen. It is amazing that EG was more than sixty years old when he completed this film - he doesn't look a day over fifty in this movie. He definitely was the heavy-hitter in this film and carried most of the dramatic weight. However, Nina Foch puts in a very strong performance as EG's confidante and assistant. I thought she played off against EG's character (Victor Scott) very well. The rest of the supporting cast also did very well even though they remained B-class actors throughout their careers. The film has a good plot but is definitely vintage 50's in quality. Despite some minor drawbacks if you are a fan of EG I highly recommend you watch this movie - I doubt you will be disappointed. For those of us who have really come to love and enjoy the work of EG Robinson it's hard to find anything to complain about. His career was amazing and I believe he is the most under-rated actor in the history of Hollywood. The fact that he never received a Best Actor award is beyond belief - especially when you look at the body of his work (All My Sons, Kid Galahad, Bullets for Ballots, Cincinnati Kid, Key Largo, Sea Wolf, Double Indemnity, etc.) His acting ability and skills were second to none. He could hold people spell-bound by his performances - Humphrey Bogart had the highest respect for EG. I hope iTunes adds all of Edward G. Robinson's work to their collection.