The Last Gangster 1937

During Prohibition-era 1927, gangland kingpin Joe Krozac returns from Europe with a new wife, Talya Krozac, who is unaware of his criminal past. The Kile brothers have muscled in on his territory in his absence, so he orders their assassinations. Three are killed, but Acey Kile survives. Soon after, Talya becomes pregnant, a development that fills Krozac with a wary mix of pride and menace.

Krozac is sent to Alcatraz Federal Penitentiary for ten years for income tax evasion before their son is born. After Talya visits her husband with their child, reporter Paul North Sr. plays a dirty trick on her, putting a gun in the baby’s hands for a photograph. When Talya goes to his newspaper to plead to be left alone, his editor refuses to help, but Paul is so ashamed of himself that he quits his job and begins a relationship with Talya. She files for divorce and marries Paul, and the pair move away, changing their names to start a new life together.

When Krozac is released from prison, he is determined to reclaim his son, now named Paul North Jr. / Joe Krozac Jr., and punish his former wife. Yet his old assistant, Curly, persuades him to retake command of his old gang first. It soon becomes clear that Curly and the others are playing a trap to learn where Krozac hid his money before going back to prison. Krozac resists their torture, but the gang kidnaps his son to apply pressure. He finally yields. The gang drives off with the loot, only to be cut down by the police, leaving Krozac and his son stranded on foot.

On the long journey home, he is unable to convince the boy that he is his father, yet they manage to get along in spite of the wound of their past. After the boy is reunited with his parents, Krozac experiences a change of heart and chooses to leave, stepping away from the boy’s life. But Acey Kile is waiting, taunting him at gunpoint and threatening to expose the boy’s true paternity to the press. To stop that, Krozac lunges and kills Acey, but not before paying the ultimate price himself.