You won't be disappointed!

Purely Joyful Movie!

A Disappointing Continuation

Close shines in drama with strong language, adult themes.

When Brian Donlevy arrives in the big city, he finds himself involved in a cab war. This ruthless racket (lead by Barton MacLane) is out to get the small cabs off the road so he can clean up. MacLane won't stop at anything to get what he wants, but a pretty sophisticate (Rochelle Hudson) has other ideas on her mind, playing both ends against the middle as she spends time with both Donlevy and MacLane in order to avenge a wrong from one of the two. At only an hour long, this fast moving crime drama is a small gem, no masterpiece, but certainly entertaining none the less. Harry Carey offers some wisdom as the wise "Dad Martin" while MacLane is playing one of the most nefarious villains of his varied career. (Take note, "I Dream of Jeannie" fans, yes this is the same actor who played the General some 30 years later!).With some non-stereotypical gangsters (not the usual dumb bully's) as part of the action (and some great use of street violence), this speeds on by just as Donlevy's racer did in the opening sequence. Hudson isn't one of those pretty heroines who stands back and frets as the hero tries to protect her; She's right in there on the action, and that makes her a much more interesting character. Donlevy, who played both heroes and villains, is quite dashing here, not afraid at all to stand up to the bad guy, yet not so angelic that butter wouldn't melt in his mouth, either.

... a fast-paced one hour B from 20th Century Fox, although with its quick pace and tough protagonist, this could easily have been a Warner Brothers film of the same era with Cagney or Bogart playing Donlevy's part. Interesting parallel to Warner Brothers here - Warner Brothers would recycle the same plot ad nauseum under various monikers, but Fox often would give a film the same name as a past successful one and give it a plot that had nothing to do with the first. "Born Reckless", for example, was a John Ford film from 1930 about a gangster ordered to join the army by a judge.Here Donlevy plays Bob 'Hurry' Kane, an auto racer that, in the first 5 minutes of the film, wins a race with a sizable purse, loses it all on wine women and song, then penniless hitches a ride in a freight car with some other hobos to see an old friend. Now that first five minutes is just to show that Kane is a wild and unpredictable guy of questionable character, and the fact that you're really not sure about his motives or his loyalty all through this short film is part of what holds your interest. That old friend's cab business is under attack by the mob for holding out against joining their protection racket - the mob is constantly crashing into the taxis of the non-member cab companies and claiming they were accidents. The mob is run by that baddie of 30's B's, Barton McLane as Jim Barnes. Kane, being a great driver, offers to give the bad guys a taste of their own medicine, and you've got to wonder how Barnes ever got as far as he did in the mob with some of the bone-headed moves he makes.This one is lots of fun and I recommend it if only to see Donlevy playing it reckless and with a smile for a change, very much like Cagney's roles when he was on the right side of the law in the 30's. It's just a shame that Harry Carey as the owner of the family cab company Kane is trying to help didn't get more lines.

An extremely lively, well-acted programmer, credited to director Mal St Clair, a top man in the silent period, but now working in Fox's "B" unit. As usual for Fox, the budget looks extremely generous for a "B"-grader, with lots of extras, attractive sets, and Miss Hudson modeling a stunning series of winning costumes. But most important ingredient of all: scads of action! Indeed perhaps too much action and too over the top. The script is credited to John Patrick, plus Fox's top writing team, Robert Ellis and Helen Logan. Unfortunately, "Born Reckless" was a troubled production. Donlevy injured his left hand, other writers were brought in, and director Gustav Machaty shot some footage – possibly all of the more spirited scenes with Donlevy which do not seem typical of credited director Mal St Clair's usual, far more leisurely style. The action spots are certainly most vigorously staged but rather far-fetched for what is supposed to be a realistic exposé of graft and corruption in the taxi industry.

This fast-paced Fox programmer -- originally issued at 78 minutes, although the version I saw was cut to just under an hour -- looks a lot like its Warner Brothers counterparts, B movies modeled on Jimmy Cagney vehicles. Brian Donleavy does a good job in the lead role, playing the cocky, brash young hot shot, although he lacks the detail work of Cagney.The piece, however, is a lot more violent than the equivalent Warner's fare, as Donleavy goes seeking trouble, rather than snapping into it when it finds him. top-billed Rochelle Hudson is pretty good as the moll/love interest and the bill is filled out with a fine supporting cast, particularly by Harry Carey, always solid and believable. But the script lacks the sense of exposing the social ills that usually infused the Warners actioneers, and the direction and camera work, although competent, are not top notch. A decent, if unexceptional movie.