The best portrayal of a criminal that I ever saw was by Mickey Rooney, who starred in Baby Face Nelson in 1957. Becuase there is only one known print, this movie has been nearly impossible to see for many years and has never been issued on VHS or DVD. Hopefully it will come out on DVD, cable, or another format in the future. Rooney as the homocidal maniac Nelson, who was part of the Dillinger gang, is probably the best role he ever played. It was directed by Don Siegel, who later directed Clint Eastwood in Dirty Harry. He also directed the original Invasion of the Body Statchers, as well as many other fine films.