Whether playing a murderous bootlegger, a G-Man, an insurance agent with a knack for spotting fraud or a traitorous Hebrew who would drowned his own people in the Nile for a spot of gold, Edward G. Robinson could do it all. Well maybe not sing and dance (although he did tap a bit on film), and in this brilliantly written black comedy, he superbly shows how getting away with murder is an art all its own. He's a veteran actor who is disturbed by the return of evil brother-in-law Louis Calhern and decides to protect fellow actor and sister Mary Astor even if it means his freedom. Robinson's Damon Welles is a master of disguise and utilizes his old drama credentials as his means for revenge, and in Calhern's last moments, the look on his eyes that he is being murdered is unforgettable. Now Robinson must create two alibi's, one for the disguise he was wearing, the other for himself. But a smart detective (Henry O'Neill) has his eyes on Robinson, and the very funny finale is filled with irony that the production code the very same year would soon fight against.
A brilliantly written psychological tale of how to get away with murder and have the audience convinced that you were justified, this gives Robinson perhaps one of his great roles, a scenery chewing one for sure, but your eyes will never go off of him,. Louis Calhern, a forgotten gem of the stage and screen, would be remembered in later years for playing lovable old grandfathers and distinguished gentlemen, but in the 1930's, he was adept at villain roles, and his character here is vile in every way. Charming on the outside but filled with venom in every word, he manipulates the beautiful Mary Astor into pretty much being in a trance and doing his every bidding. Ricardo Cortez and Mae Clarke are wasted in smaller roles that could have gone to lower down the rung supporting players, and Astor has had juicier parts, but they seem to know that they are in a production of high class. Every aspect of this film is glamorous and devious and delicious, and that is what makes a great pre-code melodrama that will have you clutching your armchair yet laughing at the same time.
A brilliantly written psychological tale of how to get away with murder and have the audience convinced that you were justified, this gives Robinson perhaps one of his great roles, a scenery chewing one for sure, but your eyes will never go off of him,. Louis Calhern, a forgotten gem of the stage and screen, would be remembered in later years for playing lovable old grandfathers and distinguished gentlemen, but in the 1930's, he was adept at villain roles, and his character here is vile in every way. Charming on the outside but filled with venom in every word, he manipulates the beautiful Mary Astor into pretty much being in a trance and doing his every bidding. Ricardo Cortez and Mae Clarke are wasted in smaller roles that could have gone to lower down the rung supporting players, and Astor has had juicier parts, but they seem to know that they are in a production of high class. Every aspect of this film is glamorous and devious and delicious, and that is what makes a great pre-code melodrama that will have you clutching your armchair yet laughing at the same time.