Ultimate Gangsters Collection: Classics (Little Caesar / The Public Enemy / The Petrified Forest / White Heat [Blu-ray]

Warner Brothers released four classic vintage gangster films together on Blu-ray in this set, a fine HD upgrade from the DVDs, as these four(along with two others, not included here) had also been released together. A hardcover, 32 page booklet is included, as are all previous extras, plus a fifth disc is included that has a feature-length documentary and several vintage gangster-themed Loony Toons cartoons.The films are:"Little Caesar" (1931) Edward G. Robinson"The Public Enemy" (1931) Jimmy Cagney"The Petrified Forest" (1936) Humphry Bogart & Leslie Howard"White Heat" (1949) Jimmy CagneyWell worth owning, and a good bargain as well.

This collection includes 4 classic films. The best, by far, is "The Public Enemy". James Cagney was the best of the gangster actors, and "The Public Enemy" was his best gangster picture, and therefore the best of this collection. Next is "White Heat". What a character Cody is, although I don't know who was tougher or crazier, Cody or Ma. Next best is "Little Caesar." Edward G. Robinson plays the iconic role of Rico. Make sure you watch it before "The Public Enemy", otherwise you might burst out laughing when you listen to Robinson play Rico. BTW, Robinson was much better in "Double Indemnity" and "The Stranger". Least best, but not bad (it is a classic after all) is "The Petrified Forest". Bogart plays weird gangster Duke Mantee, who is likeable compared to Leslie Howard's hard to stomach Alan character. Howard seems to specialize in playing spineless men as we see later in "Gone with the Wind", that time in color. All the pictures have some weak points, but "The Public Enemy" has the least. They all benefit from being short. All are less than 2 hours long, and only "White Heat" is more than 90 minutes long. If only more movies had more of the film left on the cutting room floor. This collection might be worth 5 stars, but the caricatures in "Little Caesar" and the "The Petrified Forest" knock the collection down a notch. Say, maybe all four of the movies should have starred James Cagney.

VERY high quality packaging I was surprised -- I was looking for some old-timey gangster films and here are some of the best at a very reasonable price point. Comes in a slim box of very high quality material along with a informative bound booklet -- every Blu-ray film has its own disc and are contained in one of those multi-cases that is as wide as a normal case so no over-packaging. Films are as reviewed previously. No 1930's "Scarface" but oh well. Highly recommended purchase over purchasing the films individually (unless that's what you like).

In DVD you get these four classics and The Roaring Twenties and Angels With Dirty Faces in a collection called Warner Brothers Pictures Gangster's Collection Volume 1. Here in the Hi-Def upgrade you get The Petrified Forest, Little Caesar, The Public Enemy, and White Heat.For the price of the upgrade I'm not sure it's worth losing the two other classics that are truly representative of the genre while 'The Petrified Forest' is really a stunning adaptation of a Broadway play that focuses more on human condition and folly than gangsters tho you do have Bogie's stellar debut performance as Duke Mantee. True collectors can fuss over that. The blu-ray editions are crisp without true remastering...but not perfect. The sound is no better than the DVD's and it costs more. I have both but I'm a sucker for these movies. If you truly want to be introduced to the genre then go with the DVD collection. The two movies it includes beside the four included in both are true classics and will expand your knowledge of how pervasive the effect of these films became. Even the most die hard fan of the ilk know why Angels With Dirty Faces was made and why Cagney played the role. That movie alone is worth the DVD collection believe me.

The only thing missing here is Angels With Dirty Faces, which is the single greatest gangster movie ever made. Everything else is spot on though. Wonderful collection!

It has the best Gangster films Warner Bros. ever made in the 1930's. Out of the four, I like The Petrified Forest for being an out of the box in terms of the location and of the time frame of the mid-1930's.

This classic movie collection, along with the great special features that go with it, highlight the rise of the gangster movie as we now know it. Produced just after the advent of the talkies, and with no film ratings board, these movies shocked and delighted audiences. They also made stars out of James Cagney, and Edward G. Robinson. Interesting both for their history, as well as the films themselves, this is a must have collection for the film buff!

A hit for anyone who enjoys the old time gangster movies and the actors and actresses in them.

The movies are very well transferred. Quite nice to see these ridiculously old classic being brought back to life with our digital technology!Nice booklet with this collection containing details and images about the cast, the movies and the inspiration behind the movies. Nice respectful and considerate collection that is extremely cool and entertaining; doing justice to the great minds that put this stuff together.Really nice overall packaging as well.

Great for the price. Loved the bonus dvd documentary and the little hardcover book was a nice surprise. As always love the Warner night at the movies bonus content on each of the 4 discs.

These gangster films are fantastic. You can see how they all influenced the gangster films that came after.

Great picture quality for such old movies!

love it