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Absolutely brilliant

Good films always raise compelling questions, whether the format is fiction or documentary fact.

This is one of the best movies I’ve seen in a very long time. You have to go and see this on the big screen.

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

This is probably the only movie during the Hays Code where a killer gets away with murder.Ginger Rogers is so much fun; no shirking violet she. You may want to watch it several times just to catch the little bits of comedy business laced in every scene, from the jury leering to .the catfight in prison scene.

A joyous satire on political and judicial corruption, lovingly directed by "Wild Bill" Wellman from producer Nunnally Johnson's incisively re-worked, cleverly adapted script. The original 1927 play is not so much a comedy as an exaggerated melodrama. Johnson has added all the laughs and most of the satire. Wellman whips it along at a cracking pace. Despite the film's comparatively short running time, it's loaded to the limit with foolery and fun and such wonderfully inventive touches as the riddle of gun-fire over the montage of newspaper headlines; Menjou dis-arranging his hair before addressing the jury; the judge never missing a jump to have his photograph in the papers; Menjou spoiling for a fake fight, urgently asiding to the attendant, "Come on, Jake!"; Chandler rehearsing his lines and gestures - and that's naming but a paltry few of the highlights which are capped by the whole jail breaking into the "Black Bottom".It's often said that comedy was not Wellman's forte. What nonsense! Wellman is a superb farceur, whipping the plot and dialogue along frenziedly, getting terrifically off-beat performances from players normally stiff or stolid or nauseatingly sweet, tearing mileage from Ihnen's crowded sets and Shamroy's appealingly sharp camerawork. The dazzling choreography is the snappiest work Hermes Pan has ever done.All in all, Roxie Hart is one of the forties' fastest comedies. I'd rate it even funnier than His Girl Friday, which shares the same wide-open Chicago setting.

There was a real Roxie Hart, and in 1942, she was played by none other than Ginger Rogers with red hair. It's basically the same story as "Chicago" with some changes. What remains the same is that Roxie is a darling of the press, and her trial is a media circus. The difference here is that Roxie didn't shoot anyone, and she and her husband do divorce. Also, the matron doesn't have a song. Roxie's story is told in flashback by a reporter (George Montgomery) who has avid listeners in a coffee shop, particularly the man behind the counter (William Frawley) - who we see as the story continues was actually on the jury! As in "Chicago," Roxie loses the limelight when a fresh news story comes along, but she manages to get the crowd back when she announces she's pregnant.Ginger is great as Roxie and dances "The Black Bottom" and taps up a storm. She's very sassy and flirtatious, seemingly having a good time. Adolphe Menjou is just right as Billy Flynn, who knows every trick in the book to get Roxie declared not guilty. The film has a wonderful group tap number, too, which is excellent.All in all, a fun ride, with a great ending. Fans of "Chicago" will find the film interesting and entertaining.

Comedy fracas from Maurine Watkins' play "Chicago" (filmed previously in 1927, and remade as a musical in 2002) has gum-snapping, would-be showgirl Roxie Hart, wife to a real schlub in jazz-era Chicago, talked into putting herself at the center of an apartment shooting--because, after all, Chicago courts are sweet on dames. Satire of legal justice (and the theatricality of the law and the press) is pungent and funny without being terribly memorable. Ginger Rogers is very good in the lead, yet winking director William Wellman keeps repeating the same gags over and over; while frantically trying to stay one step ahead of the audience, Wellman tramples all comers--sapping Rogers' good will too soon. A few wonderful stand-outs remain: the jailhouse dance with the reporters, the lively courtroom antics, and the clever final tag. The story is framed in awkward flashback, the sub-plot about moll Two Gun Gertie is introduced and then dropped, and there's a semi-romance that never rises to a boil, but the film still has some big laughs and a lot of energy. **1/2 from ****