Best Edward G Robinson Movies

It’s hard to list the best Edward G. Robinson movies, choosing from the more than 100 that he made. Robinson was best known for his gangster roles and his distinctive speaking voice. Though not a titan of Hollywood like some of his peers, his influence is considerable.

1. "Little Caesar." This was the film that put Edward G. Robinson on the map, and he plays the role of Rico, a small-time crook. The film was ranked by the American Film Institute (AFI) as the ninth best gangster movie of all time and in 2000 the National Film Registry (NFR) of the Library of Congress chose it for preservation. Rico’s final line, “Mother of mercy…is this the end of Rico?” is on the AFI’s list of 100 most memorable movie quotes, at position #73.
2. "Double Indemnity." This movie was directed by legend Billy Wilder and is a psychological thriller, a good example of popular film noir of the time. Edward G. Robinson plays an insurance claims adjuster who investigates a suspicious death, ultimately carried out for the purpose of collecting on a life insurance policy. The film was nominated for seven Academy Awards and was on the AFI’s 1998 list of all-time great movies, at number 38.
3. "Key Largo." This movie was another film noir and the last of five films that Edward G. Robinson made with Humphrey Bogart. Directed by the legendary John Huston, the film is packed with stars. Robinson plays a gangster who takes over a small out-of-the-way hotel and holds everyone hostage, ultimately killing three. Eventually Bogart’s character kills the gang members, saving Robinson’s character for last.  
4. "The Ten Commandments." This movie is a sprawling epic about the biblical account of Moses. Though Edward G. Robinson did not get top billing, he has a prominent role in the film, which went on to gross $65 million, making it—after adjusting for inflation—the fifth-highest grossing North American movie ever made. The AFI listed it as the 10^th-best epic film ever made and the NFR has selected it for preservation.
5. "Soylent Green." This is a futurist science-fiction film that shows a world overrun by population and pollution. It was Edward G. Robinsons’s last film; he died of terminal cancer two weeks after filming ended. The tears Heston cries in Robinson’s death scene are supposedly real, Heston having just learned of Robinson’s sickness.