A strange gangster comedy starring Edward G. Robinson from 1938. Prohibition is over & bootlegging has gone the way of the dodo, so what's a gangster to do when he's forced to walk the straight & narrow, well he tries to legitimize his foul tasting brew (which during banned times would be had due to the scarcity of the product) but now competing w/legitimate companies, his swill won't pass muster & he soon starts feeling the pinch in his wallet. When the bank sees an opportunity to foreclose on his business, Robinson decides to bluff himself into a final reprieve at his upstate New York estate which unbeknownst to him has become the scene of some murders (a local outfit has robbed some bookies of their take w/one member in particular offing his crew to keep the money all to himself) making his upcoming meeting w/his bankers (not to mention his daughter's intention to announce her engagement w/a state trooper) strained to be sure. Not knowing this film was a comedy had me second guessing what I was seeing but this comic romp, based on a Damon Runyon play, keeps upping the lunacy as the sight gags & one liners come a mile a minute during the final wrap-up. Robinson seems to be having a ball playing a variation of his character from Little Caesar (he's constantly refers to himself in the third person much like his earlier effort) so forgive me for being a little late on the joke but boy when I got it, I got it.
Review of A Slight Case of Murder
