A suave gentleman named Jim Montgomery (William Powell) did the chivalrous thing and fought off a man trying to abuse a lady. The lady, Ethel Barry (Natalie Moorhead), ran into Jim's apartment screaming with a brute chasing her. Jim struck the man causing him to fall out of the window; falling to his death. It was an accident, of course, that could be easily cleared up with Ethel's testimony. But Ethel split and was never to be heard from again.
Jim, for his troubles, went to prison on a murder charge which made him a sympathetic character. No one wants to see a guy get locked up for a bum rap.
In prison Jim met Pete Shore (Paul Hurst), his cellmate. He had simple advice for Jim: stay away from them Janes, as he called women.
Jim would escape prison with Pete's help and make it his life's mission to find Ethel and convince her to come forth to the authorities with the truth. Until that time he lived under the pseudonym James Nelson and worked at a plant in North Carolina. Even though he fell in love with the owner's daughter, Edith (Marion Shilling), his life would never be unfettered so long as he was an escaped convict.
This was a passable movie. The "romance" between Jim and Edith was a bit tepid. When we first see her he kindly declined an invitation of hers because he was trying not to get anyone else involved in his quagmire of a life, but she ran to daddy who all but demanded Jim accompany his daughter. It made Edith out to be a spoiled rich girl who always gets what she wants, and that's pretty much what happened. It seemed like they tried to clean up her image later, but I already had a bad taste in my mouth about her.
The only other significant female in the movie was Ethel who was a sly snake. Her behavior later in the movie made it understandable why the guy earlier in the movie wanted to kill her.
The ending was rather nebulous. Jim staved off an extradition from North Carolina to New York, but there's no telling what may have happened after the end. The implications were that Ethel would be forced to give a statement, but she already proved herself very clever and very treacherous, and her testimony could only prove to harm Jim more.
Would I have liked a more definitive and happy ending? Sure, but it wasn't a deal breaker. I would've liked a more compelling relationship between Jim and Edith and a more compelling dramatic script overall.
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Jim, for his troubles, went to prison on a murder charge which made him a sympathetic character. No one wants to see a guy get locked up for a bum rap.
In prison Jim met Pete Shore (Paul Hurst), his cellmate. He had simple advice for Jim: stay away from them Janes, as he called women.
Jim would escape prison with Pete's help and make it his life's mission to find Ethel and convince her to come forth to the authorities with the truth. Until that time he lived under the pseudonym James Nelson and worked at a plant in North Carolina. Even though he fell in love with the owner's daughter, Edith (Marion Shilling), his life would never be unfettered so long as he was an escaped convict.
This was a passable movie. The "romance" between Jim and Edith was a bit tepid. When we first see her he kindly declined an invitation of hers because he was trying not to get anyone else involved in his quagmire of a life, but she ran to daddy who all but demanded Jim accompany his daughter. It made Edith out to be a spoiled rich girl who always gets what she wants, and that's pretty much what happened. It seemed like they tried to clean up her image later, but I already had a bad taste in my mouth about her.
The only other significant female in the movie was Ethel who was a sly snake. Her behavior later in the movie made it understandable why the guy earlier in the movie wanted to kill her.
The ending was rather nebulous. Jim staved off an extradition from North Carolina to New York, but there's no telling what may have happened after the end. The implications were that Ethel would be forced to give a statement, but she already proved herself very clever and very treacherous, and her testimony could only prove to harm Jim more.
Would I have liked a more definitive and happy ending? Sure, but it wasn't a deal breaker. I would've liked a more compelling relationship between Jim and Edith and a more compelling dramatic script overall.
Free on YouTube.