Wonderful character development!

Sick Product of a Sick System

The film makes a home in your brain and the only cure is to see it again.

One of the worst ways to make a cult movie is to set out to make a cult movie.

I am rating this film "8" because of Edward G. Robinson. He personally deserves a "10" on a scale of 10. I have seen this film several times and have yet to notice any flaws in Robinson's performance. So, I believe it is literally flawless.Two of the best actors around shine along with Robinson. Nina Foch was a highly skilled hard-drama actress, and Hugh Marlowe was generally above-average in every project he appeared in.A very heavy crime/court drama, maybe even a little too heavy-handed at times, "Illegal" features some outrageous legal maneuvers by Robinson's character that you don't want to miss.And you can't get a more forceful crook on film than Albert Dekker. Once again we find that if someone goes to work for Dekker's character in a film, they are going to get nothing but trouble. Dekker's overpowering acting style and sheer presence has impact as always.Watch this bravura film performance by Robinson. You will be beyond impressed by his skill and perfection.

***SPOILERS*** On trial for the murder of his 20 year old fiancée Goria Benson, Kathy Marlowe, Edward Clary, DeForest Kelly, was a dead man even before the jury verdict came in in having hot shot, who never lost a case, D.A Victor Scott,Edward G. Robinson, prosecute the case against him. Found guilty of 1st degree murder Clary is sentenced to death in the state's electric chair still proclaiming his innocence. As things turned out on the eve of Clary's execution this hood, Chevez, was gunned down by the police in a robbery attempt and on his death bed confessed with evidence that only her murderer could have known that he in fact murdered young Gloria Benson.Not being able to prevent Clary's execution Scott completely falls apart and ends up a drunkard as well as being put bars for assault in belting a man in a bar, where he was drinking himself into a drunken stupor, who brought up the unpleasant subject of Clary's execution. Now with a new insight in the law and how unjust it is Scott decides to become a defense attorney and help the other side of the law, those on trial, in order to make up for what he did in sending an innocent man to the electric chair. As it turned out it was a decision he would soon live to regret. At first trying to do the right thing in defending those whom he felt were Innocent Scott gravitated to become mob boss Frank Garland, Albert Dekker, top mouthpiece because the money was good and he got to go places in his practice. In Scott defending other hoods like Garland who were working for him. Another major mistake that Scott made that would almost cost him his life was in trying to get his assistance, whom he paid to go through law school, Ellen Miles, Nina Foch, to marry his as well as Ellen's good friend top justice department lawyer Ray Borden, Hugh Marlowe. Like his judgment in the clients he took on Scott was totally wrong in what a person Borden was. Besides being a degenerate gambler, in playing the horses, Borden was also deeply in debt to Frak Garland in him paying Garland's bookies off. Ray Borden was to soon become the mole in the D.A's office who tipped Garland off every time the local police and D.A Ralph Ford, Edward Patt, were going to make a pinch or raid on him and his associates!One of Edward G.Robinson's better films since he was almost blackballed out of Hollywood by the HUAC as being a communist sympathizer which in fact he wasn't. Eddie was never better as the hard punching,with a roll of nickels in his fists, and take no BS defense attorney Victor Scott. A man who came to his senses in how corrupt he was becoming in trying to erase a terrible mistake he made,by sending an innocent man to the chair, by defending mobsters like Frank Garland to whom murder was nothing more then a business expense! ***SPOILERS*** It's when Ellen is arrested in the murder of her husband Ray that Scott came to his senses in that working for the mob or Frank Garland will end up burying him like what it's about to do to Ellen. It was Ellen who found out that Ray, not Victor Scott whom she suspected, was the one tipping Garland off that lead to Ray trying to fling her out of her and his apartments 12 floor window! In was fortunate for Ellen that she had a .38 revolver handy and blew Ray away before he could do it! It was Ray's big mistake in calling his boss,Frank Garland, at his office from his and Ellen's home phone just before he,in attempting to murder her, was blown away by his wife Ellen. In was also fortunate on both Ellen and her friend and now defense lawyer Scott that Garland fired his busty private secretary Angie O'Hara played by a drop dead gorgeous 22 year old Jayne Mansfield, in her film debut and what a debut she made, in that it freed her to testify against him in court in that Ray was the person who called him the evening he in fact was killed! That not only exposed Ray as the mole in the D.A's office but exonerated Ellen by proving that she shot and killed her husband in self defense! P.S As for Victor Scott after getting a bullet in his gut by Garland henchman Andy Garth, Jan Merlin, he decided to quit the law business and go into the arts, mostly art collecting, which was a far more rewarding and less dangerous occupation for him.

Edward G. Robinson stars in this remake of "The Mouthpiece," with Warren William. Edward is a d.a. who has a way with his juries and is very showy in a courtroom and dramatic in his closing arguments, making him very effective in getting his point across and "getting his man" behind bars. But, he finds out he has sent an innocent man to the death penalty, a minute too late. When he discovers this, he quits, only to use his tactics in being a defense lawyer. He always seems to find a loophole in the system that would allow him to get his man off.Enter Albert Dekker, who needs his help, but Albert is a rich bad guy and Edward tries to convince him he's not for sale. Nina Foch is very good as an assistant in the d.a.'s office who has always loved Edward, but when he tells her it's no soap and tells her to marry good friend Hugh Marlowe, she does.All these plots come together in this tight, well-acted, engrossing crime drama and courtroom drama. Watch this and you'll see why Edward G. Robinson isn't just remembered for "Rico" in "Little Caesar," but as one of Hollywood's versatile actors. If you've never heard of Edward G. Robinson, you're in for a treat, see.

Considering that this film stars Edward G. Robinson, it's of course worth watching. Heck, I'd watch him in any film. However, I must admit that this is one of his weaker films--especially because it ended in a very clichéd manner.The film begins with Robinson working as a prosecuting attorney. He has just done a masterful job and sent a man (DeForest Kelley) to the death house. However, in a twist, they discover another man was the murderer and Robinson tries, in vain, to stop the execution. Having him call only a second or two too late was a good way to build tension but it was also a cliché--you just KNEW it would be too late and this lacked realism.As a result of this, Robinson has a breakdown and spends the next few scenes drinking, getting in fights and quitting his job. He just can't stand the idea of prosecuting another innocent man. But, in an odd twist and through a strange series of events, he soon finds himself defending mobsters--and manipulating the law and ethics as much as he possibly can to get these obviously guilty men off. So, you are expected to believe that Robinson went from crusading prosecutor to a sleazy shyster in such a short amount of time--an interesting idea but one that is hard to believe.By the end of the film, however, the mob is trying to convict an old lady friend of Robinson. He tries, in vain, to get the mob to relent, but when they won't Robinson springs to her defense--and incurs the wrath of the mob bosses for which he used to work. The final scenes, with Robinson being shot and yet convincing the court and then dying right there was once again exciting to watch but very contrived.Overall, there were just too many situations in which the impossible occurred. Credibility is strained to the breaking point by the end of the film. Exciting and worth watching, but also tough--very tough-- to believe.By the way, Jayne Mansfield appears here in her first film. Yet despite it being a very small role, I noticed she was very prominently displayed on the DVD case (I'm actually surprised they could fit her on it considering her ample...assets). The same thing has been done with many early Marilyn Monroe films--she barely appears in it at all but is front and center on the DVD art.UPDATE: I finally got to see the original version, "The Mouthpiece". It's significantly better...and a lot racier!