What makes it different from others?

Stylish but barely mediocre overall

While it doesn't offer any answers, it both thrills and makes you think.

The plot isn't so bad, but the pace of storytelling is too slow which makes people bored. Certain moments are so obvious and unnecessary for the main plot. I would've fast-forwarded those moments if it was an online streaming. The ending looks like implying a sequel, not sure if this movie will get one

Myself being a listener of TV and not a devoted watcher, find Sunday nights with TCM an unpleasant distraction with most scores for the Silent Movies catching up a bit late to my consciousness with welcome relief by my latent push of a button. These scores no matter the orchestrations, generate memories of organ music in vintage Soap Operas. The Penalty was different and had me listening till the end with delight. I am sorry if in fact as some others say, it does not match the film. My hope is their conclusion is based on their own barriers. I will settle back one day and watch it for my own conclusion.

Lon Chaney's plays a Barbary Coast criminal mastermind during the early 1900s in director Wallace Worsley's "The Penalty," an outstanding crime thriller that wraps up its 93 minutes with a surprise ending. The premise alone makes this silent epic worth watching. Moreover, Chaney contrived a leather contraption that allowed him impersonate his handicapped villain without relying on hokey camera angles or trick photography. At the turn of the century, a boy in his early teens has a tragic traffic accident and an inexperienced surgeon; Dr. Ferris (Charles Clary of "A Tale of Two Cities") makes the wrong decision and amputates both of the boy's legs from the knees down. An older physician informs the young doctor that amputation was not necessary. Initially, the doctors thought that they could not be overheard, but the child is able to hear them and he tells his parents that the doctors are lying about his medical condition."Dangerous Days" scenarist Charles Kenyon has adapted Gouverneur Morris' 1920 novel and altered the upbeat, optimistic, happy ending. The title "The Penalty" here refers to the debt that the protagonist must pay for being such a heinous individual. Kenyon, Worsley, and Chaney make sure that Blizzard behaves like a cruel man. At one point, he roughs up one of his female employees when he finds her ability to make a hat less than satisfactory and reprimands her in front of her peers. Incredibly, though we are never shown how he acquired his power, the boy grows up to become an evil mastermind named "Blizzard" and he rules the Barbary Coast underworld. The Federal Police want to bust him, but Blizzard is far too sagacious for them. Eventually, the police send in an undercover operative, Rose (Ethel Grey Terry of "Wild Bill Hickok"), to work her way into Blizzard's good graces. The chief of the Federal Police suspects that Blizzard is up to no good, but nobody has been able to gather enough evidence against him to destroy his organization.One way that Blizzard's kept women can improve their chances of survival is to have an ear for music. When the crippled crime boss comes home, he prefers to sit at his piano and make music. Since he lacks the feet to push the pedals, he relies upon his kept women. Rose turns out to be the best kept woman that Blizzard has ever had and she is allowed to come and go as she pleases. Eventually, Rose discovers a concealed compartment in the fireplace. She notices a loose brick in the section of bricks in front of the fireplace and finds a trip wire in the niche. When she pulls the wire, the entire interior part of the fireplace ascends to reveal a vertical passage. A person can climb down a pair of straps connected by buckles to an underground passage that is wired for lighting and contains a surgeon's operating suite.Meanwhile, the evil Blizzard is planning to repay the surgeon for his inexcusable act of medical malpractice for removing his legs. The surgeon's adult daughter, Barbara Ferris (Claire Adams of "The Big Parade") is trying to become an artist, but her boyfriend, Ferris's assistant Dr. Allen (Kenneth Harlan of "Dick Tracy vs. Crime Inc.") has a low opinion of her aspirations. She wants to try her hand at one last project before she capitulates to her fiancé's demands. Allen believes that "true women need love, a home, and children." Barbara prints a newspaper advertisement soliciting a model for her sculpture of Satan after the fall and Blizzard instructs his henchmen to turn away all comers. When he shows, Blizzard makes a believer out of the daughter and she begins to model his likeness in clay. While all this is going on, Blizzard has also orchestrated an audacious plan to loot the city of San Francisco by creating a riot in the suburbs that will draw the authorities away from the city so Blizzard's minions can do their bidding. Blizzard's other scheme—not quite as audacious, but just as malignant is to fool the old surgeon into cutting off the legs of his daughter's fiancé and grafting his legs onto Blizzard's stumps."The Penalty" qualified as Lon Chaney's first major motion picture and a harbinger of pictures to come. This black & white silent opus is quite hypnotic, especially when Chaney is on screen hobbling around on crutches and leather knee guards.

Lon Chaney (as Blizzard) is the underworld lord and master of San Francisco, despite a striking disability - he has no legs. Mr. Chaney's "Blizzard" was, as a boy, a "victim of San Francisco traffic", and had his legs amputated above the knees, after an accident. Moreover, the amputations were unnecessary; they were needlessly preformed by young, inexperienced Charles Clary (as Dr. Ferris); Mr. Clary also leaves a brain contusion untreated. As a boy, Chaney hears an older, experienced doctor scold Mr. Clary on the unnecessary procedure; but, they cover up the crime, and dismiss the young amputee's protests as delusions, caused by ether.Twenty-seven years later, the powerful crime lord decides to enact his terrifying revenge on the doctor who cut off his legs. Cheney answers a newspaper ad posted by Clary's daughter Claire Adams (as Barbara Ferris); she is a sculptress, looking for someone to model Satan, for her bust: "WANTED -- Model to pose for statue of 'Satan After the Fall.' If you think you look like Satan, apply at studio of Barbara Ferris, 32 Institute Place. 8284" The Satanic-looking Chaney is the perfect candidate to sit for the young woman; and, Ms. Adams welcomes him into her art studio, unaware (yet) of his unfortunate association with her father. Meanwhile, Cheney's underworld operation is being infiltrated by a spy; lawman Milton Ross (as Lichtenstein) has sent his best undercover agent, Ethel Grey Terry (as Rose), to gets the goods on Chaney. He is especially interested in why Chaney has his "show girls" making thousands of hats… "The Penalty" has a noticeable degree of implausibility, as do many films; and, it does become make the film more than a little distracting, at times. Yet, Chaney's performance is so commanding, and so thoroughly enjoyable, it's really pointless to list faults. The film works on the strength of Lon Chaney's performance. Director Wallace Worsley, photographer Donovan D. Short, and art director Gilbert White contribute to the master, by giving the film a great, atmospheric look.Among the supporting players, James Mason (as Frisco Pete) is easily the standout. Young Edouard Trebaol (as Bubbles) is also well-employed, and natural, alongside the high degree of emoting present amongst the adults. Trebaol memorably re-teamed with Chaney in "Oliver Twist" (they were "Fagin" and "The Artful Dodger"). Interestingly, in the original Gouveneur Morris novel, "Bubbles" had an expanded role, which eventually revealed him to be the son of "Blizzard". That subplot would have added greatly to this film, further contrasting cruelty and humanity; and, of course, recalling the boy "Blizzard", and his earlier loss. It would have also confirmed the adult Chaney's obvious sexual prowess (note how women kneel down to play Chaney's pedals has he tickles the ivories).Whatever its faults, "The Penalty" set the standard for the expertly performed and extremely successful Lon Chaney role - grotesque, anguished, sympathetic, and/or deformed. It started here. Give yourself a penalty if you pass up this Chaney classic. ********** The Penalty (11/15/20) Wallace Worsley ~ Lon Chaney, Ethel Grey Terry, Claire Adams, Jim Mason

Lon Chaney stars in one of the best performances ever caught on screen. Dedication is a trait we sometimes don't see in actors but when you saw the name Lon Chaney attached to a picture you knew he was going to give 110% to his role. The Penalty is at times very silly but it only becomes that way if you look hard enough through Lon Chaney's mastery.Lon Chaney stars as Blizzard, a deranged amputee who is the head of San Francisco's crime underworld. He is a mad man and the author-ties are determined to bring him down, an inspector named Licthenstein sends his loyal assistant Rose to go undercover in Blizzard's world. Blizard is planning a crime that will leave San Francisco in ruin but he doesn't focus in on it. He has another part of his plan, he will play with the mind of Barbara an aspiring artist who is creating a sculpture of Satan. Through this he vents all his criminal energy toward capturing Barbara's fiancé, the future son in law of the doctor who mistakenly amputated his legs and force him to graft them on to him.Meanwhile Blizzard exacts his control over the two women in his life, Rose and Barbabra the doctor's daughter. They are both morbidly fascinated by him and both begin to fall in love with him.This story is overly melodramatic even for the silent era but I have to strongly recommend for Chaney. His performance is absolutely breathtaking. The fact that he so convincingly plays an amputee through great physical pain leaves you in awe. It puts you in so much awe that we forget the silly communist commentary and the fact that if this film did not have Chaney it probably would be another forgotten lost film.I think this film is an important part of motion picture history simply because it shows what separates a great actor from a legend