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Rating: 3.75 out of 5
Being a gangster is freakin AWESOME. Yea, I said it! It was all about the suits with the fedora hats. Speeding down the streets while your homeboy hung off the side while shooting a Tommy Gun. Dripping with straight confidence because you knew you were the toughest around while robbing banks. Famous gangsters such as Al Capone, John Dillinger, Bugsy Siegel, Baby Face Nelson, Machine Gun Kelly, and Pretty Boy Floyd captivated the media and were the superstars of the country. From them came the gangster films that took their names to legendary status.
Gangster films are one of the cornerstones of American Film. Movies like The Godfather, the original and new Scarface, and anything James Cagney was in, like White Heat or The Public Enemy. These gangster films made it look cool to be a gangster. Underneath all the legendary gangster films are some cool gangster films, without all the flashy gunfights. Some gangster films are subtle, depicting a person trying to keep their criminal empire alive. At the same time, the law watches their every move. If you have never heard of the man Johnny Eager, you are in luck. A man who works as a taxi driver but is a criminal mastermind.
Johnny Eager (Taylor) is a taxicab driver, straight out of prison and on parole. Johnny leads a straight-and-narrow life, as he doesn’t want to return to prison, and meets with his parole officer, Mr. Verne (O’Neill). While Johnny rolls around as a taxicab driver in public, it is only a front; he is back to his gangster ways, engaging in racketeering. Johnny’s latest venture is a dog racetrack that has been slowed by regulations. Johnny has a few flunkies and henchmen at his disposal who do his dirty work, but if he has to, he has zero qualms with handling business himself. Johnny’s most loyal soldier is his right-hand man and best friend, Jeff Harnet (Heflin). Even though Jeff is a drunk, he always seems to give Johnny some wisdom on how to handle things. As Johnny tries to rebuild his empire, dude sees Lisbeth Bard (Turner), a sociology student, and thinks she is FOINE, and she thinks he is a little cute. The pair hit it off, and even when she finds out he is still a criminal, she becomes hot in the loins. When Johnny learns who Lisabeth’s stepfather is, his criminal mind begins to turn with a chance to be rid of all his enemies.
This isn’t the standard gangster film. It is more of a neo-noir type film with planning and Johnny moving his chess pieces around the board. If you are looking for the blowing up buildings, Tommy Gun shooting type film, this isn’t it. About a third of the way, it is hard to feel out where this film is going because, as you see, Johnny is riding around in a cab and then meeting people like he is a stand-up guy. For a while, I found it quite boring.
When Johnny meets Liz, the film becomes good because you really see how far he is willing to go to get what he wants. Liz is the stepdaughter of John Benson Farrell. John Benson Farrell is a district attorney. John Benson Farrell is the one who threw Johnny’s skinny ass in prison the first time around, and the reason Johnny can’t get any permits for his racetrack.
This is one of the best parts of the film and shows Johnny’s genius. Johnny calls his homeboy, Julio, to burst into his room and pretend to try to kill him. During the staged fight, Julio drops his gun. Lisbeth picks it up and shoots Julio when it looks like he is about to win. Johnny quickly pushes her ass out the door as his scheme succeeded with the gun having blanks, and Julio’s blood is ketchup. That is one way to get the enemy’s girl on your side.
Another scene that shows Johnny isn’t messing around was when he goes to the card game with some other bosses. Johnny plays like he is going to sleep and sneaks out. Why did dude sneak out? He learns that his childhood friend, Lew Rankin, was tired of his shit and was plotting against him. Johnny takes him to some abandoned place, kills him, and then returns. Does Johnny stop there? Nope! Johnny lies to one of his former girls, who is married to an incorruptible policeman. Johnny has his ass transferred because he won’t get with his program. I think he ships his ass two hours away. That’s cold-blooded.
The drama comes when Jimmy Courtney, Liz’s ex-boyfriend, comes into the picture. This is where Johnny changes and shows that he really loves Liz. Liz is straight-up a mess, looking like shit, as her conscience is shattered. Johnny at first doesn’t give a shit, and when Jimmy offers dude all his money to bounce and take Liz with him, Johnny is like, “What are you trying to pull?” Johnny complains to Jeff and says even he has a friend. When Johnny learns that Liz is about to turn herself in, that is when he has a change of heart. Yet the romance is short-lived, as Johnny learns that his actions have significant consequences. The ending will leave you shaking your head because Johnny gets his from someone unexpectedly.
I must commend the acting in this film. Robert Taylor as Johnny Eager was a solid choice. He portrayed Johnny as a heartless criminal who will do anything to get what he wants. He is such a two-faced person. He portrays Johnny as a law-abiding cab driver, only to reveal him as a wolf in sheep’s clothing. Lana Turner, as Lisbeth Bard, was great in this role. First, Lana Turner is FOINE! Turner does a good job of showing the sweet, innocent Lisbeth and how Johnny turned her life upside down. The switch that she made from a gentle soul to one where she looked depressed and all over the place is fascinating.
Even though Robert Taylor is the star, I want to give major props to Van Heflin as Jeff Hartnett. This dude won the Academy Award for his role. In the supporting role, he somewhat stole the show each time he was on the screen. The dude played a competent drunk very well, who gave Johnny wisdom. He was so cool and calm with his words that you sometimes forget that he might be intoxicated. Bravo, Mr. Heflin.
Johnny Eager is one of those neo-noirs that is decent because of how Johnny tries to reclaim his throne in the underworld. The story will not disappoint you. It’s not as intense as some of the other gangster films, but there are scenes where you feel like it is a decent film for the genre. Taylor was decent in the lead role, as Turner was lovely as ever. Mad props need to go to Heflin. After you watch all the neo-noir films that you want, give Johnny a chance.
