I loved how the Depression could be seen, heard, smelled, practically felt…5c for a cup of coffee in the lunch counter by the Hells Kitchen docks; ham and eggs; the drunk falls overboard in the grimy East River; gangster Duke goes “up the river” to Sing Sing, escapes, kills the trusty driver near Scarsdale; Danny lets two boys fight rather than collar them for stickball breaking a window; the witty and unpretentious banter, with numerous topical references remarked upon by…
A real fun film as long as one has a big dose of disbelief suspension.
Preston Foster will irk you until you realize he's just over-acting in an absurd part that requires him to: berate his dying partner, James Gleason, for being a too-careful cop; insult Gleason's widow when he breaks the news to her; be a braggart and show-off with the friendly press reporters...and on and on...
Jane Wyatt acts great/looks great, as a feisty spot news reporter--with surprisingly…
Had me enthralled, particularly as I waited and waited for Warren William to pull one of his patented double crosses. His acting is lights out. He goes from top of the legal victory world (conviction and death sentence on circumstantial evidence), to abject despair (innocent man executed), to the "dark side" (excelling in getting guilty criminals off), to near-rape of his guileless secretary from Kentucky, to....well, no spoilers here, only to say that the man experiences some redemption urgings....
Aline…
Yes! Last week the Library of Congress chose this masterpiece as one of 25 ing the National Film Registry as culturally, historically, and aesthetically, significant. Recently, Warners produced a splendid Blu Ray version. The action and dialogue, under Michael Curtiz, are crisp and hard-hitting and the tale of crime, faith, betrayal, and redemption most certainly stands the test of time. I may have seen it dozens of times but I always find new things to savor.
