Great Film overall

I like movies that are aware of what they are selling... without [any] greater aspirations than to make people laugh and that's it.

It's entirely possible that sending the audience out feeling lousy was intentional

There is, somehow, an interesting story here, as well as some good acting. There are also some good scenes

Great 30's flick, there's nothing quite like it, which is why this film is a true must-see.I think some reviewers tried to take this one a bit TOO seriously - obviously that wasn't the intention.Suspenseful, intriguing, and very wry.There are just SO many top-notch actors in this one, and they each play the part convincingly. A LOT of eye-candy here, and VERY familiar faces.I just found this to be such a treat on an otherwise gloomy day.If this one doesn't make you grin, you totally missed something.I'm still surprised at how serious and confused some reviewers here are on this one. Come on ! The name of the flick is The Amazing Dr. Clitterhouse !Wake-up, people !

The IMDb summary for this film lists it as a black comedy. I'm don't see it as a comedy, although there are some humorous moments. Rather, I see it as a film that is difficult to classify because it is rather unique. And what a pleasure it is when one finds a film that is unique.For those who like Edward G. Robinson, and I always have, this is a special treat, because here he doesn't play a gangster...exactly. He plays a doctor (Clitterhouse) who wants to research why some people pursue crime as a living...so he becomes a jewel thief himself. It's cool to see Robinson play someone with some refinement, since he was, in actuality, a rather refined man with an interest is art collecting, for example. But, as the plot develops, he must commit murder. The climax of the film is a courtroom scene where he acquitted based on insanity...but it's a wonderful twist on how that's decided.Since I first viewed this film I've revised my opinion about Humprhery Bogart in this film. Originally, I didn't feel that he fared very well in this film. He plays a rather seedy character involved in an underworld fencing operation. But in watching the film a second time, I think he actually does rather nicely, showing a little heart, despite having little class. Claire Trevor is the love interest, surprisingly for Clitterhouse. There are several character actors you'll recognize here -- Ward Bond, Allen Jenkins, Henry O'Neill, Donald Crisp, and Slapsie Maxie Rosenbloom.Definitely well worth a watch!

The renowned Dr. Clitterhouse (Edward G. Robinson), interested in the criminal personality, joins a gang of thieves anonymously. He finds himself strangely thrilled in their presence. He carries out research, pupilary dilation and whatnot, and eventually plans their big heist. (He gives his part of the proceeds to charity.) Then, his work accomplished, he bids the gang adieu.Alas, one of the more obnoxious of the gangsters, Rocks (Humphrey Bogart), unravels Robinson's professional identity, tracks him down in his office, and tries to blackmail him into coming up with more master plans. Robinson coolly poisons Bogart and dumps his body in the river, believing that the police will attribute the death to accidental drowning.Some doctor! He neglects to put Bogart's body in the bathtub and fill his lungs with water, so the cops find a stomach full of paraldehyde chloride and a homicide. It doesn't take them long to find that Dr. Clitterhouse is responsible.The trial is a mockery (co-written by John Huston). Robinson's lawyer put on a psychiatrist who befogs the air with psychiatric gibberish. Catch-22 applies, the jury concludes. Robinson, the defendant, has only one chance of getting off without being fried -- he must be insane. However, Robinson takes the stand and declares repeatedly and emphatically that he's perfectly sane. Therefore, if he's so convinced he's sane, he must be insane. He gets off with a trip to a psychiatric hospital. "Remarkable," comments Robinson.Humphrey Bogart was making a slew of movies around this time, usually in the same roles -- secondary and villainous. He always made fun of his performance in this film, and of the film itself, lending its title a vulgar change. But, although Bogart's part is stereotyped, the film isn't that bad. The protagonist, Robinson, does a fine job of projecting professional cool. He's believable as a supercilious doctor. He did a much different job of showing a professional man's anxiety in Fritz Lang's superior "The Woman in the Window".Litvak hurries the film along. The motto of the later gangster films was abbreviated to ODTAA -- one damned thing after another. Characters whiz in and out of door. When they speak on the phone, it sounds like this: "Hello, gimme Leftie -- Leftie? Take the envelope and get rid of it -- What? -- No, don't do that -- Yeah, just what I told you -- No, don't come here -- Right." (Hangs up.) The pauses between these snapped-out comments don't last long enough for anyone on the other end of the call to take a deep breath, let alone make a comment or ask a question. Not a second is wasted. Nobody even says good-bye.I kind of like it.

This is a decent and VERY typical gangster film from Warner Brothers that is so similar to a long string of such films made by this studio during this era. While this might be a negative for some, fans of the genre such as myself will find that this is yet another well-written and well-acted gangster film complete with the usual Warner stars and support cast. In this case, though, the story is a bit unusual in that Edward G. Robinson plays a doctor who infiltrates a mob to test his theories concerning the criminal mind. While I admit this is a little silly, all the usual story elements combine to still make a very watchable and enjoyable film. While not among his or Bogart's best, it is a rousing good time nonetheless.