In 1929 they were - Chester Morris had just appeared in the sensational "Alibi" and was still seen as a psychotic heavy but 1930's "The Big House" plus a winning personality would soon show the public that he was an actor with many strings to his bow. Hal Skelly was also thought to be an actor who was going places. He was, at that time, the toast of Broadway for his performance as "Skid" the clown who hit the gutter in "Burlesque" and was bought to the screen by Paramount who filmed it as "Dance of Life" with the gorgeous Nancy Carroll. But Skelly didn't have the versatility that Morris did, or wasn't really given the opportunity, like Morris, to diversify and 1930 saw him playing much the same sort of character with "Behind the Mask" and "Men Are Like That" until he was suddenly killed in a car crash in 1934.
He has the lead role of Officer Dan Malone, a knockabout cop - the kind who finds a kid swiping a quart of milk and turns a blind eye - "after all the kid was thirsty"!! He makes no arrests, much to the frustration of his partner, preferring to offer advice and friendship. In fact the first half is pretty wishy washy - just who are the bad guys?? Kitty Evans (Evelyn Brent) blames Dan's "bad penny" brother for leading her impressionable brother Eddie (Leslie Fenton) astray but Dan is convinced Eddie is the brains behind the bootlegging racket and Ray (Morris) is just an innocent bystander - in reality both are in it up to their necks!!
When Mother Malone is left blind after an accident Dan goes to pieces but rallies to declare an all out war on hoodlums. This is a bit hard to swallow - Skelly laid back for the first half hour now reinvents himself as a hardliner!! After a couple of years Kitty's prophesy comes to pass - Eddie is now a slickly dressed bootlegger and Ray, having left the town, is now serving time for armed robbery.
Best performance in the film is Evelyn Brent's - she doesn't figure much in the action but her few scenes are really dynamic and lift what is really a pretty static movie. Yes there is a bomb blast and a shoot out but that comes in the last 10 minutes!! Her Kitty turns harder (if that's possible) as the film progresses (which makes the ending pretty unbelievable) - instead of marrying Dan, she blames him for his hounding of Eddie which sees the latter being hung on circumstantial evidence. She vows to get even and finds her chance when Ray, now a desperate escapee, contacts her and begs her to set up a meeting with Dan.
Chester Morris makes the most of his role with his charm and kidding making Ray the most likable character in the film. I don't really agree with the other reviewer, I think the vibrancy of Brent and Morris put Skelly in the shade. Leslie Fenton had been in films since the mid 1920s, usually playing bland leading men, often being paired with Madge Bellamy ("Lazybones", "Sandy") until talkies came along and rejuvenated his career as a dapper crook ("The Public Enemy"). Virginia Bruce also has a bit as an uncaring nurse and I still can't figure out the title - unless it is the tiny bit at the end!!
He has the lead role of Officer Dan Malone, a knockabout cop - the kind who finds a kid swiping a quart of milk and turns a blind eye - "after all the kid was thirsty"!! He makes no arrests, much to the frustration of his partner, preferring to offer advice and friendship. In fact the first half is pretty wishy washy - just who are the bad guys?? Kitty Evans (Evelyn Brent) blames Dan's "bad penny" brother for leading her impressionable brother Eddie (Leslie Fenton) astray but Dan is convinced Eddie is the brains behind the bootlegging racket and Ray (Morris) is just an innocent bystander - in reality both are in it up to their necks!!
When Mother Malone is left blind after an accident Dan goes to pieces but rallies to declare an all out war on hoodlums. This is a bit hard to swallow - Skelly laid back for the first half hour now reinvents himself as a hardliner!! After a couple of years Kitty's prophesy comes to pass - Eddie is now a slickly dressed bootlegger and Ray, having left the town, is now serving time for armed robbery.
Best performance in the film is Evelyn Brent's - she doesn't figure much in the action but her few scenes are really dynamic and lift what is really a pretty static movie. Yes there is a bomb blast and a shoot out but that comes in the last 10 minutes!! Her Kitty turns harder (if that's possible) as the film progresses (which makes the ending pretty unbelievable) - instead of marrying Dan, she blames him for his hounding of Eddie which sees the latter being hung on circumstantial evidence. She vows to get even and finds her chance when Ray, now a desperate escapee, contacts her and begs her to set up a meeting with Dan.
Chester Morris makes the most of his role with his charm and kidding making Ray the most likable character in the film. I don't really agree with the other reviewer, I think the vibrancy of Brent and Morris put Skelly in the shade. Leslie Fenton had been in films since the mid 1920s, usually playing bland leading men, often being paired with Madge Bellamy ("Lazybones", "Sandy") until talkies came along and rejuvenated his career as a dapper crook ("The Public Enemy"). Virginia Bruce also has a bit as an uncaring nurse and I still can't figure out the title - unless it is the tiny bit at the end!!