Al Capone

Al Capone has quietly become one of the more dependable crime dramas currently available. The runtime earns every minute, with nothing here that feels like padding. 57 viewers have already rated it on TMDB — the kind of consensus that does not happen by accident. Rod Steiger leads a cast that carries the story without ever feeling mechanical. There is no real reason to keep putting it off.

Al Capone arrived without much fanfare and built its audience the hard way — through word of mouth. The plotting in Al Capone is tight enough that the twists feel earned rather than assembled. In this unusually accurate biography, small-time hood Al Capone comes to Chicago at the dawn of Prohibition to be the bodyguard of racketeer Johnny Torrio. Capone's rise in Chicago gangdom is followed through murder, extortion, and political fraud. He becomes head of Chicago's biggest "business," but moves inexorably toward his downfall and ignominious end. Credit to Rod Steiger and Fay Spain for grounding it — this is a cast that earns the twists. It was released in 1959. What makes Al Capone hold up is that the resolution matters less than how the characters get there. There is real craft here, even in the moments that do not fully land.

Viewers who think they have seen every crime drama tend to find Al Capone proves them wrong. It has built its own audience without needing a direct comparison. The complete film is available and best experienced without too much prior knowledge of where it goes. Watch Rod Steiger work — it is a masterclass in the genre. Few crime dramas earn their twists this consistently.

Al Capone was released in 1959, directed by Richard Wilson. The full 104-minute film is available to watch now. Find exactly where it's streaming below, and TV Butler Pro makes it effortless to track your progress as you go. Just search the name, and Butler finds it instantly, tells you which service has it, and remembers exactly where you left off.