it was the depression, nobody could afford to smile. Ask any old timer and they will tell you ALLLL about it. I liked the hats tho. Any era that had hats like that couldn't be that bad. I thought Paul Newman was quite the gang boss.



THE
AARDVARKS
WITH DIRTY FACES

Good Lord, has there ever been a drearier, more joyless movie than this? Not a flicker of a smile crosses anyone's lips, and nobody enjoys their work, their family, or their lives. C'mon, guys! You're [i]gangsters[/i]! Live it up a little!

Through the dark lighting, the constant rainfall, and the miserable undertones, the movie just oozes [i]unpleasantry[/i]. And so, it's not particularly enjoyable to watch. "Boring" isn't the right word, but it's the first word that comes to mind.

An extra half-star, though, for Tom Hanks, the excellent orchestral score, and one of the more memorably composed climactic scenes I can recall.

**1/2.