The Beast of the City (1932)

Director:

Charles Brabin

Writers:

W.R. Burnett (story)
John Lee Mahin (dialogue continuity)

Release Date:

13 February 1932 (USA)

Genre:

Crime | Film-Noir | Drama

Tagline:

Beware the hunters who stalk their prey through city jungles!

Plot:

Police Chief Jim Fitzpatrick is fighting gangster Sam Belmonte. He asks his dishonest brother Ed to...

Plot Keywords:

Police | Gangster | Brother | Police Corruption | Betrayal

Cast

Walter Huston	...	Capt. Jim Fitzpatrick
Jean Harlow	...	Daisy Stevens, aka Mildred Beaumont
Wallace Ford	...	Det. Ed Fitzpatrick
Jean Hersholt	...	Samuel 'Sam' Belmonte
Dorothy Peterson	...	Mary Fitzpatrick
Tully Marshall	...	Defense Attorney Michaels
John Miljan	...	District Attorney
Emmett Corrigan	...	Police Chief 'Burt' Burton
Warner Richmond	...	Police Lt. Tom
Sandy Roth	...	Lt. John 'Mac' McCowsky
J. Carrol Naish	...	Pietro Cholo

Also Known As:

City Sentinels (USA) (working title)

Runtime:

86 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Black and White

Aspect Ratio:

1.37 : 1

Sound Mix:

Mono (Western Electric Sound System)

Certification:

USA:Approved | USA:Passed (National Board of Review) | USA:TV-14

Company:

Cosmopolitan Productions

Trivia:

Fifty-two minutes into the film Daisy (Jean Harlow) has a party at her place. On a small table against the back wall is a photo of Clark Gable, her co-star in Red Dust (1932) the same year.

Quotes:

Det. Ed Fitzpatrick: Mind if I ask you some questions?
Daisy Stevens, aka Mildred Beaumont: Sure, if you don't ask them in Yiddish.

Movie Connections:

Featured in Thou Shalt Not: Sex, Sin and Censorship in Pre-Code Hollywood (2008) (TV)

Soundtrack:

Old Black Joe

fun little movie

This is a classic example of those pre-Hays Code movies of the 30s, gritty and violent steeped in a general sort of sleazy atmosphere. Harlow is terrific, especially in her first scene with Wallace Ford; sexy, funny, tough. The movie is fast-paced and has a certain style and an engaging toughness.

Entertaining most of the way through, it begins to run out of energy towards the end, and also out of intelligence. While the other comments here laud the stylish, incredibly violent ending, it's really dumb, contrived and completely unconvincing. For some reason people here are so taken with its visceral effect that they ignore its utter ridiculousness. But overall this movie holds up very well for something from the 30s, and is well worth watching.