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The Worst Film Ever

Memorable, crazy movie

Pretty good movie overall. First half was nothing special but it got better as it went along.

The film may be flawed, but its message is not.

***SPOILERS*** The movie is based on the true life exploits of New York City's Special Prosecutor, and later the State Governor, Thomes E. Dewy not the future NYC two time, 1966-1973, Mayor John V. Lindsey. Law professor John Lindsey, Edward G. Robinson, is out to crack the rackets that are turning NYC into war zone. Taking advantage of his sabbatical Lindsey instead of taking an Atlantc sea cruise with his wife Jerry, Barbara O'Neil,takes the job from the NY State Governor's Civic Committee to clean up the town and put the criminals who's actions are making it a place not to bring up a family in behind bars.Trying to do the job as best he can Lindsey doesn't realize that the person who suggested him to take the assignment the well respected businessman and socially conscious Paul Ferguson, Jon Beal, is in fact the undercover mob boss who runs the city's rackets. It's Ferguson's plan to be able to monitor Lindsey's every movement and thus tip off his hoods when the next police raid on them is to take place. There's also Ferguson's son Eugene, Otto Kruger, who's a top law student in Lindsey's class in law school as well as a close and personal friend of his! This makes Lindsey's task of ridding the city of crime even more difficult!Eddie Robinson as Special Prosecutor John Lindsey uses both his knowledge of the law as well as his fists to take on the mob who find out that he's no nutty and harmless professor, he's always setting his suit on fire by putting a lighted pipe in it, but a hard hitting and two fisted dynamo when it comes to deal with them. Still Lindsey needs the cooperation of the mobs victims to be able to pt them behind bars and out of operation.***SPOILERS*** It's one of Ferguson's shake down victims J.W Butler, Louis Jean Heydt, who finally stepped up to the plate in fingering Ferguson's boys in blackmailing him that broke the dam that ended up flooding Ferguson and his entire gangster empire. But it also cost the brave and gusty, who left behind a wife and two young children, Butler his life! As for Ferguson he had a change of heart at the end of the movie in that instead of having Lindsey blown to pieces he did it to himself. That in Ferguson having in a bomb installed in his car, for Linsey to turn the ignition on, by his boys but he himself ended up taking the gas pipe. That's by him insisting to be the one to start up, in that he didn't have cab fare that he needed to get home, the car knowing full well what the outcome would be!

In the mid-1930s familiar movie gangsters like Edward G. Robinson and Jimmy Cagney had image makeovers. Now that the new Production Code was accepted in 1934, gangster films were less frequently made and less violent. As a result, these two actors were now given other roles--broadening their acting range. I am sure that the actors liked this chance to do something other than act tough and kill, but there is still an oddness in seeing 'Little Caesar' playing a crime-busting law professor in this film! Despite the change, this is still a dandy little film even if it is a bit conventional. Like many of the Post-Code films, this one is about punishing the gangsters and Robinson becomes obsessed with rooting out local mobsters. At first, his crusade falls flat, but when he ultimately realizes the important lesson that to have a free country, you need to ignore the Bill of Rights!! Locking up prisoners with no specific charges or evidence as well as having publicized fist fights with them is how Robinson eventually gains the upper hand! Now that's an interesting way to defend democracy!Robinson's performance is a bit more three-dimensional than usual and he's ably supported by the ever-professional Otto Kruger. Direction is good and the script, while a bit predictable, is still pretty well written. All these come together to make a film that is more than just a time-passer--it's a lot of fun as well.

"I am the Law" (1938) Professor John Lindsay (E.G. Robertson) is taking a sabbatical from his law position. He volunteers to go after the gangsters in town. He thinks it will be easy but very quickly he learns those in charge don't want him to succeed & that includes his staff chosen by the city fathers & Eugene Ferguson (Otto Kruger) Paul's father & head of the mob.So he & his top student Paul Ferguson (John Beal) volunteer to go after gangsters & corruption from his home. Because those in charge want to see failure John & Paul are fired. With his wife Jerry (Barbara O'Neil) he recruits his top graduated law students to form an unpaid army of law enforcers. What will happen next? What & see!

I just caught this movie during TCM's Edward G Robinson marathon. It may not be a "classic", but I found this film to be entertaining and well written/directed. It's the sort of gangster movie that is light and simple enough that you don't have to pay much attention to it -- you can be doing other things while you're watching the movie and still be able to follow the plot. Just suspend belief for a while -- some of his tactics wouldn't be exactly tolerated in real life -- he would be disbarred and arrested! Also, I had a hard time buying EGR as a pipe-smoking, ivy-league, absent-minded professor; still, I found his performance engaging and enjoyable. This movie has lots of pretty people, wearing expensive clothes, in opulent settings, so that aspect of it is pleasant to watch. Unlike most "formula" gangster flicks, the ending is especially satisfying and may in fact be the best part of this movie.