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The Penalty (1920)

Passed  -  Crime | Drama | Horror  -  August 1920 (USA)
7.4
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Ratings: 7.4/10 from 953 users  
Reviews: 25 user | 32 critic

A deformed criminal mastermind plans to loot the city of San Francisco as well as revenge himself on the doctor who mistakenly amputated his legs.

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(by), (adapted from his famous novel), 2 more credits »
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Title: The Penalty (1920)

The Penalty (1920) on IMDb 7.4/10

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Cast

Complete credited cast:
Charles Clary ...
Doris Pawn ...
Jim Mason ...
Frisco Pete (as James Mason)
...
Milton Ross ...
Ethel Grey Terry ...
Kenneth Harlan ...
Claire Adams ...
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Storyline

Blizzard, deranged from a childhood operation in which both his legs were perhaps needlessly amputated after an accident, becomes a vicious criminal, and eventually mob leader of the San Francisco underworld. Out for revenge against the surgeon who performed his operation, he undergoes brain surgery which has a chance of altering his anti-social behavior. Written by Doug Sederberg <vornoff@sonic.net>

Plot Summary | Add Synopsis

Plot Keywords:

leg | revenge | operation | underworld | gang | See more »

Taglines:

What was the secret of the tremendous power exerted by Blizzard over everybody he met? Why did Rose, the secret service operative detailed to spy on Blizzard and ferret out his secret, end by falling in love with him? Why did every crook in San Francisco tremble at his frown? Why did he hold thousands in peril of their lives? Come and see! See more »

Genres:

Crime | Drama | Horror

Certificate:

Passed
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Details

Country:

Language:

Release Date:

August 1920 (USA)  »

Also Known As:

Bűntetés  »

Box Office

Budget:

$89,000 (estimated)
 »

Company Credits

Show detailed on  »

Technical Specs

Runtime:

| (2004 alternate)

Sound Mix:

Aspect Ratio:

1.33 : 1
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Did You Know?

Trivia

Lichtenstein can clearly be seen mouthing the word "Damn!" See more »

Quotes

Blizzard: Don't grieve, dear - death interests me.
See more »

Crazy Credits

There is no cast list, but the 8 main actors and their character names are credited in the inter-titles as each appear in the film. See more »

Connections

Featured in Birth of Hollywood: Episode #1.3 (2011) See more »

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User Reviews

Lon Chaney - one of his best performances...great plot.
13 October 2003 | by (Oil City, PA) – See all my reviews

I saw this film on the big screen. From the beginning, one may get the impression that this could be one of the "been there...seen this" plots. Not true. The storyline is full of twists and turns throughout. Even the title has a twist at the end of the movie. While watching the plot unfold, I thought that it referred to the penalty the doctor and his family had to pay for the operation performed on Blizzard as a boy (Lon Chaney's character), making him handicaped...not so! Another twist is the female detective's turning from her investigation to admiration of Blizzard; the twist in the operation procedure performed on Blizzard to restore his legs; and then, the final twist at the end of the movie. Not what you would have expected...however, the final "penalty" is paid.

To sum it up...great actor and great story. Worth a repeat viewing. Rating: 9/10




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I don't get the whole thing with the hats? westsalemcongress
i really liked this movie but.. FrankElliottMoore
just see it bettydaw1970
Lon Chaney's Performance on this film. det2500
Title of the music at the beginning? CindyH
Chaney and the Leg Harness mnowl
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