Hal Skelly is a tough, honest police captain. Chester Morris is a bootlegger. They are brothers. Evelyn Brent is the sister of Skelly's ex-partner, and she wants revenge against him, so she helps Morris escape from the cops.
Two brothers on opposite sides of the law was not a new theme for gangster films even then, but here we are in the early days of sound pictures, and director William Wellman pulls out all stops in making this one move: a wall of roaring background noises, moving cameras, actors who step on each others' lines makes this a fast and thrilling picture.
That's not to say there are problems with its age. The sound equipment was not advanced, and some of the lines are faint...although to me that made things move even more faster, demanding my attention. The three leads are terrific. If you have a taste for old movies, this is a fine one to satisfy your appetite.
Two brothers on opposite sides of the law was not a new theme for gangster films even then, but here we are in the early days of sound pictures, and director William Wellman pulls out all stops in making this one move: a wall of roaring background noises, moving cameras, actors who step on each others' lines makes this a fast and thrilling picture.
That's not to say there are problems with its age. The sound equipment was not advanced, and some of the lines are faint...although to me that made things move even more faster, demanding my attention. The three leads are terrific. If you have a taste for old movies, this is a fine one to satisfy your appetite.