592 - Underworld (1927)

592 - Underworld (1927)

From Random Acts of Cinema by Mike Noyes and Charles Peterson

April 17, 2026 · 1h 13m · Season 7 · Episode 254

About this episode

The episode discusses the first American gangster movie, 'Underworld' (1927), and its themes of love and crime.

"Once a lawyer, always a drunkard, and now looking like 2010s David Bowie." So says newly-minted gangster "Rolls Royce" Wensel describing himself to the POSSIBLY love of his life, the daring thief "Bull" Weed. And it turns out that this, the first American gangster movie (yay!), was also a love triangle (boo!). *Come support the podcast and get yourself or someone you love a random gift at our merch store . T-shirts, hoodies, mugs, stickers, and more! If you'd like to watch ahead for next week's film, we will be discussing and reviewing Jackie Chan's The Young Master (1980).

Topics covered

  • gangster movies
  • love triangles
  • film history

Keywords

  • Underworld
  • 1927
  • Rolls Royce Wensel
  • Bull Weed
  • Jackie Chan
  • The Young Master

Mentioned in this episode

Products: T-shirts, hoodies, mugs, stickers

Books & works: The Young Master

More episodes of Random Acts of Cinema

Explore listener stats, chart rankings, contacts and more on the Random Acts of Cinema podcast page.