They show you the killer in minute one. The real game? Watching him squirm.
Richard Arlen is the convicted murderer and Adrienne Ames his sister who believes in his innocence. We see the murder and the framing set-up at the beginning of the film, so there’s no mystery for the audience to solve. Just the pleasure of watching an intricate cat-and-mouse game, with the murderer one step ahead of his pursuers until the final, tense confrontation.
Acting
Edmund Lowe's smug lawyer energy is *chefs kiss*.
Writing
Pre-Code dialogue that actually sizzles.
Editing
Lean, mean, no scene wasted.
Director
Erle C. Kenton
Edmund Lowe
Russell Kirk
Victor McLaglen
Detective Capt. T.R. McKinley
Richard Arlen
Frank C. Marsh
Adrienne Ames
Vera Marsh
Henry Stephenson
Dr. Ernest S. Tindal
Ralph Ince
Jack Reed
Noel Francis
Julia Reed
Elizabeth Patterson
Elvira Ward
Arnold Lucy
Dr. Sully
Willard Robertson
Police Sgt. Alcock
Richard Tucker
District Attorney
Fred Kelsey
Detective Duffy
Claire Dodd
Ruth Tindal
Lillian Harmer
Mrs. Alvin
Trivia, insights & behind the scenes
Erle C. Kenton directed this between horror classics Island of Lost Souls and The Ghost of Frankenstein—his genre-hopping was wild.
Pre-Code Hollywood let women be morally complicated; Vera's no saint and the film doesn't punish her for it.
US
