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Why is the figure of Al Capone so attractive even today?

2024-01-18 19:05:50Lifestyle SHKRUAR NGA JOHN SILCK
Why is the figure of Al Capone so attractive even today?
Al Capone, attending a football game on January 19, 1931

January 17 marks 125 years since the birth of one of the most notorious gangsters of all time – Al Capone. The boss of the Chicago Outfit has been immortalized in films like "Scarface" or "The Untouchables".

With the 125th anniversary of Al Capone's birth on January 17, the legacy of the infamous American gangster remains a topic that intrigues Hollywood producers and novelists to this day.

Capone, who rose to fame in the roaring 1920s as the co-founder and boss of the Italian-American organized crime syndicate known as the Chicago Outfit, has been described by some as the Robin Hood of the Prohibition era, as he donated money from his illegal activities to charity.

He also distinguished himself from other gangsters by being very much in the public eye, talking to reporters and throwing big parties, all while simultaneously participating in illegal activities.

But like many criminal figures from the past, the dastardly but charismatic gangster divides opinion. Revered by some, Capone was responsible for "a crime empire" in Chicago that was based on "gambling, prostitution, theft, bribery, drug trafficking, robbery and murder," according to the FBI's website.

Who was Al Capone?

Born in 1899 in Brooklyn, New York, the son of Neapolitan immigrants, Alphonse Gabriel Capone came into contact with organized crime from an early age. As a teenager, he became a member of the Five Points Gang, a predominantly Irish-American criminal street gang based in Lower Manhattan's Five Points, where he would extort bribe money (fees that criminals receive from people in exchange for agreeing not to hurt them or damage their property).

However, Capone quickly learned that violence alone would not ensure lasting success.

In 1917, gangster Frank Gallucio put a knife to Capone's face in a bar after he made a rude comment to Gallucio's sister. That's where the nickname "Scarface" was born and Al Capone later made the attacker his bodyguard.

Soon after, Capone shot his first man, got into trouble with an Irish gang, and beat a mobster half to death with his bare hands. Knowing he couldn't be caught anymore, he left New York for Chicago.

Why is the figure of Al Capone so attractive even today?
Al Capone leaving court, October 14, 1931

At his height in Chicago from 1925 to 1929, Capone was known as the most notorious mobster in the United States.

Al Capone, however, did not see himself as a criminal but as an entrepreneur – a man who was also known for acts of generosity with the fortune he amassed as a Chicago organized crime boss in the 1920s. The consortium he led was proud with the amount of income ranging from the illegal sale of alcohol to prostitution.

Valentine's Day Massacre

The 1929 Valentine's Day Massacre is described by the FBI as "the peak violence of Chicago's gang era, as seven members or associates of the 'Bugs' Moran mob were machine-gunned against a garage wall by rivals posing as police." Although Al Capone was at his home in Florida at the time, he was widely assumed to be responsible for ordering the massacre.

He was never convicted of the murders, but eventually went to prison simply for the crime of tax evasion, ending his tenure as a crime boss at the age of 33.

Why is the figure of Al Capone so attractive even today?
The cell where Al Capone was kept while serving his sentence

He served most of his time at the infamous Alcatraz Federal Penitentiary off the coast of San Francisco, before being released in 1939, by which time his mental faculties had deteriorated significantly.

Al Capone died in 1947 of a heart attack following a cerebral hemorrhage, aged 48.

Al Capone: A fascinating figure

The infamous gangster not only left his mark on the streets of 1920s Chicago, but also on 20th century Hollywood, through numerous mob movies inspired by his story. The image of a mafioso decked out in a pinstriped suit and republican hat held to one side may conjure up the image of Al Capone. His accent and mannerisms have also inspired numerous gangster portrayals in graphic novels, movies, music, and literature.

Why is the figure of Al Capone so attractive even today?
Al Capone became a figure in many Hollywood films - Robert De Niro in the role of Al Capone in the film "The Untouchables"

He appears in a segment of Mario Puzo's crime novel The Godfather (1969), which was made into a famous film by Francis Ford Coppola in 1972. He was the inspiration for Armitage Trail's Scarface (1929). a novel that was also adapted into two films over the years.

Why is the figure of Al Capone so attractive even today?
Movie scene | Robert De Niro as Al Capone in the movie "The Untouchables"

Brian De Palma's masterpiece The Untouchables is another outstanding drama inspired by the Capone story. Starring Robert de Niro as the gangster, the film is based on how Treasury agent Eliot Ness, played by Kevin Costner, brought down the notorious Chicago mobster.

More recently, the 2020 film Capone, starring Tom Hardy, also chronicled the life of the man who ruled a crime empire.

Why is the figure of Al Capone so attractive even today?
Scene from the movie Capone

Over 125 years since his birth, the fascination surrounding Al Capone continues. His story embodies not only the American Dream, the immigrant boy who goes from rags to riches, but also the ambivalence of American culture during the 'Prohibition' period, an era characterized by both Puritan restraint and excessive consumption. And those contrasting historical features are still part of the country's culture even today./ DW

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