The Purple Gang is a 1960 American period crime film directed by Frank McDonald and starring Barry Sullivan, Robert Blake and Jody Lawrance.

The Purple Gang was directed by Frank McDonald and was produced by Lindsley Parsons under the company Lindsley Parsons Productions, Inc.[2] The film details the formation of The Purple Gang and their criminal operations in Detroit, Michigan.

[2] The Los Angeles Evening Citizen News said that the film's narration "adds a convincing documentary flavor to the picture.

[7][8] Glenn Erickson of DVD Talk said, "The obvious hook with the true facts of The Purple Gang is the teen angle: in 1959 movie screens were awash with juvenile delinquency pictures.

"[8] Dave Kehr of The New York Times wrote, "Produced by the cash-strapped independent Allied Artists, the film employs a minimally rendered period setting to provide cover for a more or less frank admiration (at least, up until the last reel) of youth in revolt: teenagers with tommy guns.