The Worst Film Ever

Admirable film.

The thing I enjoyed most about the film is the fact that it doesn't shy away from being a super-sized-cliche;

There are moments that feel comical, some horrific, and some downright inspiring but the tonal shifts hardly matter as the end results come to a film that's perfect for this time.

Overblown antique that would be forgotten except for fans of Huston were it not for the presence of Jean Harlow in the cast. In her last supporting role before Red Headed Woman moved her to the top of the MGM pecking order she is cheap, brassy and sexual in a way that would disappear once the Hays Code went into effect in a few years. As for the rest of the film, it has pieces of dialog that are wildly inappropriate in both racial and feminist context but were standard at the time. Huston's performance is variable, mostly good but with some ham-fisted touches but he is subtlety itself compared to Tully Marshall as the defense attorney who is so florid during one of his speeches it's impossible to keep a straight face. The climax is another piece of over the top absurdity but if you're a Harlow fan the film is worth watching.

This is an exciting Pre-Code cop film from MGM. When I say "Pre-Code", I am indicating that it was made just before the adoption of the Hollywood Production Code that was intended to clean up movies and eliminate sex, violence and other adult-only content in films. Because of this, the film is much more violent than films made in the mid-30s and later. It also features a lot of seamy dialog and content. A few examples of these taboos that were in some Pre-Code films would include:Police radio reports of "a nude woman on the corner of Elm and Berry" and an "indecent exposure".Memorable lines such as "the back of his head was blown out" and referring to the coroner's vehicle as "the meat wagon".These sleazy elements actually helped make the movie more exciting and seem more like a real police story. And it was exciting throughout until a very, very disappointing and silly ending. Yes, this ending WAS violent and satisfying on a baser level, but it just made no sense at all. This helped to make this movie a good time-passer with some sleazy elements, but not much more. Exciting but not all that satisfying.In addition to all the excitement, look for a very young and pretty adorable Mickey Rooney as Walter Huston's son.

The blond bomb shell, Jean Harlow,(Daisy Stevens),"Reckless",'35 gave an outstanding performance and some of her outfits showed off all the wonderful things males love in a woman during the 1930's and still DO ! Walter Houston,(Capt. Jim Fitzpatrick),"The Great Sinner",'49, played a rough and tough Irish Captain who did not mess around with the mob and especially Jean Hersholt, who really did not fit very well in this role. Jean Hersholt played very few roles as the bad guy during the 1920's and 30's and was a good actor in the radio days. J. Carrol Naish,(Pietro Cholo),"The Beast With Five Fingers",'46, was very young and gave a great supporting role on his way to a fantastic career on the Silver Screen. The ending of this film is great and I thought it was very well directed and produced.

MGM tried to go for the hard edged style of Warner Brothers gangster films with this drama about a strict DA (Walter Huston making an amazing turn as a tough guy) looking to clean up the city. The film is stolen by Jean Harlow, as a loose woman luring Huston's rookie cop brother (Wallace Ford) down the highway to sin. Her `koochie-dance' she performs for Ford is quite the eyeful! And dig that vicious, mind bending ending!