A man recognizes the thief who had previously robbed him as one of the men involved in an unrelated mob shootout.
Direction
Griffith invents the gangster genre in 17 minutes flat.
Cinematography
G.W. Bitzer's location shooting captures authentic Lower East Side squalor.
Acting
Elmer Booth's Snapper Kid oozes menacing charisma without a word.
Director
D.W. Griffith
Elmer Booth
Snapper Kid, Musketeers Gang Leader
Lillian Gish
The Little Lady
Walter Miller
The Musician
Harry Carey
Snapper's Sidekick
Clara T. Bracy
The Little Lady's Mother
Alfred Paget
Rival Gang Leader
Madge Kirby
The Little Lady's Friend / In Alley
Robert Harron
Rival Gang Member / In Alley / At Dance
Adolph Lestina
The Bartender / On Street
Jack Pickford
Rival Gang Member / At Dance
Gertrude Bambrick
At Dance
Lionel Barrymore
The Musician's Friend
Christy Cabanne
At Dance (uncredited)
Trivia, insights & behind the scenes
Alleged real gangsters wandered onto set during filming and advised on authentic criminal behavior; some may appear as extras.
Critics widely consider this the first gangster film, establishing visual vocabulary—dark alleys, rival factions, tragic antiheroes—that would dominate crime cinema for a century.
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