I really did not care for the acting in the film, with the exception of Lionel Barrymore, who (Spoilers ahead) played the murderer Richard Grant, nor with one notable exception the characters, because until the last 15 minutes, none are really worth rooting for, because they are either bad, naive or do nothing for the film. Even Barbara "Babs" Grant who is the daughter of Grant, is not the type of character you feel for (Let alone want to marry), because she set in motion the murder of Gordon Rich (Alan Mowbray), by agreeing to marry him almost on a whim, despite the fact she knows he is a creep. However, those final 15 minutes are the best part, because (Spoilers ahead)Marjorie West (Kay Francis) who is the kicked upon g/f of Rich, is willing to do the right thing and risk her own life and expose Grant as the killer (Grant goes through a long scene explaining how she will either get inherited millions from Rich, or be put on trial for the murder), until fate interferes and Grant is killed (Spoilers ahead), with the gun that he used on Rich. This allows her to remain quiet, and not tarnish the reputation of everyone else involved. Finally, for a film to work, you must either like the acting, like the characters, hate the characters (Rich is not likable, but is not a memorable screen villain), or some combination. In this film, the only good acting is done by Barrymore, and the only character that I like is Marjorie, because of her willingness to uncover and fight for the truth, no matter what, then by staying silent for the benefit of Babs.
Review of Guilty Hands
