A brutal story based on the life of Al Capone. So candid that this king of the criminal world even sent the author’s thugs to explain what such truthfulness could cost. But they were slightly late. Armitage Traill flared up like a star in the sky—and immediately burned out, never reaching 30. And his novel was an incredible success. It became a golden classic of crime literature and will remain so forever. Two cult films were made based on it—Howard Hawks and Howard Hughes in 1932, and Brian De Palma starring Al Pacino in 1983. A modern adaptation is being prepared with Antoine Fuqua (“Training Day”) and Terence Winter, the screenwriter of “The Sopranos” and “Boardwalk Empire.”
Tony Guarino grew up in Chicago, in a world where gangsters are heroes and the police are enemies. Where it means to live as a law-abiding citizen is to vegetate in poverty. There’s not much choice. But the young man doesn’t want to be an ordinary criminal. He believes his destiny is power over the criminal underworld—and he’s ready to pursue it without even a hint of fear.
So already at eighteen, he decides what even the most hardened gangsters are afraid to think about: to finish off the all-powerful boss Al Spingola…