Special Agent (1935) User Reviews

An OK but improbable early Bette Davis crime melodrama with the stars sustaining interest in the action.

[Art-22 · 6/10 · 12 May 1999]

This crime melodrama is never dull and has some very exciting moments, although the action is improbable. It's well-paced with fine acting: young and beautiful Bette Davis is enjoyable to watch, but her sophistication seems a bit out of place while working for a hood; George Brent is as suave as ever; and Ricardo Cortez makes a good heavy, with lighting effects making him look more sinister. I also liked the acting of many of the supporting characters such as Robert Strange (who is a standout), J. Carroll Naish and Joseph Sawyer, as three of Cortez's murdering henchmen. Anyone who likes the genre should like this film.

Martin Mooney, who provided the story on which this film is based, was a newspaper man and well aware that the government was sending noted racketeers up the river for income tax evasion. Al 'Scarface' Capone was indicted by a federal grand jury for that offense and spent eight years behind bars starting in 1931.

Warner Brothers doing what it did best

[blanche-2 · 6/10 · 18 January 2008]

George Brent is a "Special Agent" in this 1935 crime drama also starring Bette Davis and Ricardo Cortez. The original story was written by a newspaperman and is most likely based on the Al Capone case. Brent plays a reporter, Bill Bradford, but his job is a cover -he's an undercover Federal agent after a crook, Alexander Carston (Cortez) for tax evasion. His entrée into the books of Carston's organization is the bookkeeper, Julie Gardner, with whom he's also in love. After the case is built, Carston is arrested and Julie is taken into protective custody. But can she really be protected against Carston?

This is a fairly routine drama with good acting and some solid action. Davis is very young and blonde here, and not as glamorized as she is in other early films - "The Man Who Played God," "Fashions of 1934" or "Ex-Lady" but nevertheless quite pretty. She's a little too classy to be a mob bookkeeper; as the character, however, she exhibits intelligence, which certainly Julie would have. Brent is his usual pleasant self as Bill, and Cortez is a sinister gangster.

The only part of the film that gave me a giggle was the riddling of men with machine guns as they continued to stand until their bodies must have had more holes than Swiss cheese before dramatically falling. Certainly they would have been dead long before the 100th bullet.

Interesting for early Davis and the always good Cortez.

Bette's own code

[bkoganbing · 5/10 · 21 January 2016]

The only thing about Special Agent worth remembering is that for Bette Davis it was the film that she did immediately prior to her first Oscar winner Dangerous. Other than that it was the kind of potboiler programmer that Warner Brothers kept casting her in despite acclaim she got for a few films like Of Human Bondage.

At least she got her favorite leading man in Special Agent and in the title role. George Brent has the perfect cover for being a Special Agent for the Treasury Department. He's a reporter which means he can go places see things and ask questions and no one suspects. Least of all gambler/racketeer Ricardo Cortez who Brent has been working on for years to take down.

Of course this film was done with the successful prosecution of Al Capone in the mind of the movie-going public. Davis keeps Cortez's books and Brent is keeping company with her. Here the story is rather vague. Did he like her before or after he learned she was keeper of the records in her own code so even Cortez can't decipher it. His convincing Bette to turn on Cortez wasn't really convincing to me.

Coming off best in this film is Ricardo Cortez. He is one shrewd article who has his fingers everywhere, it's why no one's caught him till now and Brent nearly doesn't get him this time.

Special Agent did Bette Davis and George Brent no harm and great things were in the offing for Bette Davis.

Pretty typical 30s Warner Brothers crime drama

[planktonrules · 7/10 · 28 May 2007]

In the 1930s, Warner Brothers was the place for gangster films, as they churned out a huge number of high-quality films in this genre. While this one did NOT star the usual gangster stars of the day (Cagney or Edward G. Robinson), it star the ever-capable George Brent as a federal agent and Ricardo Cortez as an Al Capone-like thug. I particularly liked Cortez's little speech to Brent that men like him are above the law and can never be convicted--it was a very exciting scene. In addition to these two, the film also stars Bette Davis in a pretty decent role as Cortez's bookkeeper. The film features good writing, dialog and acting and while not the greatest gangster film, it is very good and watchable. Oh, and by the way, the ending is pretty exciting (and violent), so it won't disappoint.

By the way, if you see the film and it seems familiar, this appears to be a reworking of the plot from the MGM film THE SECRET SIX. There are just too many similarities to be coincidental, as both heroes are government agents whose cover is newspaper reporter.

Darling, there is nothing more important than food.

[lastliberal · 7/10 · 16 May 2007]

Bette Davis was already an established actress when she did this film with 27 movies under her belt, and an Oscar nomination for Of Human Bondage. She would win an Oscar for Dangerous the same year this film was released. This is a different Bette Davis than most of us are used to seeing. She was a cute blonde in this film and here acting ability was very evident even in this average gangster flick.

This flick had a good story about trying to bring down a mobster (Ricardo Cortez) with a T-Man (George Brent) posing as a newspaper reporter. You have to suspend belief at some of the story, but it's not 2007! Brent and Davis would join forces later with Bogey and Ronald Reagan in the Oscar-nominated Dark Victory.

Bette Davis and George Brent...again

[journeygal · 7/10 · 7 November 2019]

George Brent and Bette Davis appeared in 11 movies together and while they didn't exactly have the smoldering chemistry of Bogie and Bacall, they worked very well as a team. Sort of old and comfortable, like an old married couple who are still very fond of each other.

George's character is a newspaper reporter, Bill Bradford. His girlfriend, cute little Julie Gardner (Bette) is a bookkeeper for notorious gangster Alexander Carston (Ricardo Cortez). She certainly doesn't seem like a hardened moll but she explains this anomaly away by stating she was young and naive and in need of a job when Carston offered her the position. She had no idea what it would entail, but the main thing is keeping his books in a private code, thereby assisting him with tax evasion, amongst several other crimes.

It's not like she is actively helping Carston get away with things, but her quick knowledge of his affairs makes her very valuable to him...and to the Feds. One thing neither she nor her boss is aware of is that Bill, the nondescript newspaper reporter, is actually a special agent. He is trying to take down Carston, and is determined to do so, even though the racketeer has been brought up on charges 50 times yet still seems to slither out of his accuser's grasps, time and again . Eventually Bill lets Julie know who he really is, and she agrees to help him get the goods on her boss. If Carston finds out, it is certain death for her, as he has a habit of dispatching those who are not faithful to him. She allows one of the feds in to 'photostat' the doctored books and gives them the code to decipher. Carston, though fond of Julie, sort of figures out what she's done. He's not certain, but she is a dangling loose end so he sends two of his thugs to pick her up at the courthouse, pretending to be lawmen.

There is, of course, a shoot-em-up, which is actually a little funny. The windows and walls and a few bodies are peppered with bullets...yet nothing seems to happen other than a few bullet holes and men dropping over, completely intact. Also, the rat-a-tat of the gun goes on for several seconds after the shooting, making it feel like we're in a dubbed movie and the timing is off...

My only complaint is the too-loud rinkety-tinkety background music that was SO annoying I eventually turned the sound off and the closed- captioning on. Bless the people who are involved in the closed caption process on these old movies. Sometimes, between the background music and the actor's rapid-fire delivery, I would certainly miss a lot if not for the time and trouble taken to help those of us who are hearing-impared

"Helping you would be helping myself to a handful of clouds"

[hwg1957-102-265704 · 6/10 · 18 June 2017]

A newspaper reporter who is really a treasury agent brings a mobster to justice with the help of his girlfriend who does the accounts for said mobster. It is a routine Warner Brothers gangster film. It's main strength is the splendid dialogue such as the line above, a mixture of poetry and realism.

An underused Bette Davis and a bland George Brent as the accountant and the agent respectively are OK. Their scenes together are not as interesting as the gangster scenes. Ricardo Cortez (who did a good hero or a good villain) stands out as the chief mobster with the icy eyes. He is supported in his gang by a fine gallery of character actors like Jack La Rue, Joe Sawyer, J. Carrol Naish and Paul Guilfoyle. The unique Charles Middleton pops up for a brief scene as a policeman.

It was directed by William Keighley who made some better films but this one moves along nicely and doesn't outstay its welcome.

Class and fun

[TheLittleSongbird · 7/10 · 4 February 2020]

Saw 'Special Agent' for two main reasons. One is my high appreciation for Bette Davis, considered an acting legend, well more like a legend in any field, for good reason. Her performances in the likes of 'All About Eve' (iconic), 'Now Voyager' and 'The Letter' are evidence of that. Also love the genre it fits under, many good to classic films in the genre, and when it is done right (many cases of that being the case, but others have fallen into the potential traps) melodrama can be great.

Found 'Special Agent' to be a well done film on the whole. It may not fit my definition of a "special" film and may not be in the extraordinary category. Not everything works, the story could have been better or at least consistently executed. A vast majority of elements do work though, and generally wonderfully. A lot of good things here in 'Special Agent', namely the lighting and the acting, and it is just good fun. As long as not too much is expected, many should enjoy it.

Will start with what doesn't quite work, and actually it isn't a lot and is more mixed feelings than anything disastrously done. While always compelling and well paced, the story can be far-fetched and at times a touch over-complicated. The final third is not always easy to swallow.

Davis does very well in her role and admired that she tried to break away from her relative type-casting at the time, but can see where another commentator is coming from in their feelings of her sophisticated image not always fitting with the film's atmosphere.

The cast do a great job, with George Brent a charming male lead and Robert Strange and J. Carroll Naish imposing enough but the best performance comes from Ricardo Cortez on absolutely chilling form. 'Special Agent' is always confidently directed, while the story is generally fun and atmospheric without being overwrought and it is never dull.

It is a very well made film, with the visual standout being the lighting which is genuinely eerie. It has been said that the lighting makes Cortez scarier than he already is and personally cannot disagree. The dialogue is taut and sophisticated with the odd amusing part too, never feeling over-melodramatic or talky. Nicely scored too.

Overall, good fun. 7/10

Warner Gangster Pic

[Michael_Elliott · 25 February 2008]

Special Agent (1935)

** 1/2 (out of 4)

A Fed (George Brent) goes undercover to bring down a gangster (Ricardo Cortez) but he's going to need help from the gangster's book keeper (Bette Davis). This is pretty typical stuff from Warner and their gangster pictures but it's brought up a few levels by the impressive cast. I'm not a big fan of Brent but he makes for a good lead here and delivers a fine performance. Cortez steals the show as the gangster and Davis is decent in her role. The supporting cast includes Henry O'Neill, J. Carrol Naish and Joe Sawyer. The story really doesn't contain anything new or fresh but if you're a fan of these Warner pictures then this one should keep you entertained through its short running time.

Bette Davis' Punishment For Defying The Warner Brothers. And then....

[boblipton · 6/10 · 21 July 2020]

George Brent is a reporter and pretty chummy with racketeer Ricardo Cortez. Bette Davis is Cortez' personal secretary and keeps his books for him in code. Everyone knows what Cortez is, and Miss Davis fears him -- he's ruthless with 'associates' whom he doesn't find useful and might be a risk. the local DA can't jail him, but the Feds look to get him on income tax evasion, like they got capone.

Miss Davis wears hideous-looking costumes, with lots oflace, that make her look even skinnier than usual. Brent is competent, and it's Cortez who owns this movie. His veiled threats are terrifying. Still, despite the occasional flares of machine-gun fire, it's a well-financed programmer.

This was Bette Davis' reward for fighting the Warner Brothers for better roles and losing. Her next movie would win her an Academy Award.

some memorable scenes

[akasbarian · 8/10 · 21 January 2016]

Above-average gangster film, typical of the '30s genre. Fun watching, but nothing too extraordinary...EXCEPT some of the close-up scenes involving Ricardo Cortez. With the help of some great lighting, his eyes and facial expressions are chillingly sinister! In particular, there is his private showdown with Armitage (Robert Strange)...simply unforgettable.

I also found Cortez's expressions to be reminiscent of Pacino in the Godfather (or should i say the reverse)...i wonder if Pacino studied this film at some point.

Bette Davis clearly showed great acting chops, but her role was fairly typecast and thus limited her range somewhat. George Brent did just fine...his role was probably the most straightforward. The supporting cast was outstanding...lots of subplots, double-crosses, and idiosyncrasies that enriched the story.

Bette Davis

[SnoopyStyle · 7/10 · 28 July 2020]

Newspaper reporter Bill Bradford (George Brent) is recruited to bring down gangster Alexander Carston. Julie Gardner (Bette Davis) is Carston's bookkeeper who holds the codes to his books. Bill intends on turning her and convicting him of tax evasion.

This is a pretty good gangster movie which is lightly referring to Al Capone. It's great to have Bette Davis and she has a pretty good role. It would be nice to have someone just as iconic to be her partner in crime.

Never has hogwash been so enjoyable.

[mark.waltz · 7/10 · 17 June 2019]

Perhaps because of her lengthy career and well-known toughness, it is hard to picture Betty Davis walking the streets, searching for a job and ending up working for a mobster because she can't find anything else. She works for the notoriously racketeer Ricardo Cortez who is absolutely excellent showing charm and ruthlessness as he fools the government as to the nature of his business. Davis is his bookkeeper who knows his secrets and secretly betrays him with reporter / special agent George Brent who could maneuver secrets out of presidential advisors. Cortez has managed to escape justice as his enemies and those who portray him fall dead around him, but it is only a matter of time for any bully irregardless of their business dealings and power before they fall into the pit of earthly justice.

Of course the feds go after Cortez for tax evasion just like Al Capone, but it is only a matter of time before he faces Justice in a completely different way. The three stars are perfectly cast in their parts and that creates a spark that makes this above average in the string of similar films at Warner Brothers did throughout the 1930's and even into the 1940's. It is obvious that Bette puts her all into the park even though it was a B movie that she was desperately trying to get away from by this point in her career.

Everybody in the supporting cast delivers as well from the accountants confronted by Cortez for skimming off the top of the prophets (trembling as he tries to buy his way out of certain death) and a police stool pigeon who steals information to give to Cortez. Brent is brilliant as he continues to fool Cortez who thinks he's providing him with information needed to protect him as he sets Cortez up for his downfall. You have to look past the obvious flaws and enjoy this for the snap, crackling way that this is developed and resolved, and once again showing that justice always prevails no matter how big the man being taken down is....or thinks he is.

"Alex Carston" is a "successful businessman" . . .

[oscaralbert · 7/10 · 7 November 2019]

. . . who views his fellow American customers as "saps" and "losers," SPECIAL AGENT reveals. As you would expect from the always eponymous Warner Bros., SPECIAL AGENT warns the USA to be on the lookout for sociopaths who claim to be "above the law." Carston is depicted by Warner Bros.' prophetic prognosticators as a serial tax cheat, just like the current strongman of Today's rump cushion gang. Carston has a history of running gambling joints, the identical pursuit of the rump cushion don. While scheming for ways to shake down EVERY U.S. citizen, Carston lets his slimy tentacles feel out any private sector of the economy he can latch onto, with one single thought (which just happens to presage the motto of the rump cushion mob boss:) "What's in it for me?" Warner uses SPECIAL AGENT to warn us that a man such as Carston can lie his way into the White House, declare himself to be the Law of the Land (while appointing "Yes Men" of ill repute to the SCOTUS), and "joke" about being "President for Life." No doubt Carston did just that in SPECIAL AGENT's first draft, which was rejected for being too foreboding and depressing.

One for the Books

[lugonian · 7/10 · 10 July 2022]

SPECIAL AGENT (Warner Brothers, 1935), directed by William Keighley, teams Bette Davis and George Brent for the fifth time since their initially pairing in 1932. Following the success to the studio's own G-MEN (1935) starring James Cagney, leading other yesterdays gangsters as Edward G. Robertson working on the side of the law in similar themed BULLETS OR BALLOTS (1936), SPECIAL AGENT ranks another crime caper dealing with federal agents versus crime incorporated. While Bette Davis heads the cast with George Brent in the title role, the story really belongs to the third-billed Ricardo Cortez as the mean and feared crime boss who stops at nothing.

The story focuses on Bill Bradford (George Brent), a special agent of seven years for the Department of Internal Revenue, assigned to work undercover as an ace newspaper reporter to obtain confidence with Alexander Carston (Ricardo Cortez), a crime boss and manager of the 122 Club gambling casino, to acquire enough evidence from his secret books and statements for his arrest on income tax evasion. Julie Gardner (Bette Davis) is Carston's trusted personal bookkeeper who gets paid well, but fears that one day she will be killed off as other victims who have gone against Carston. During his investigation, Bill becomes involved with Julie while at the same gathers Carston's enough information regarding underworld or police tips so to gather his trust. Eventually, Julie agrees to risk herself by helping Bradford with enough evidence needed for Carston's arrest. Unknown to all, there is an informer at the bureau working secretly with Carston, allowing the racketeer to be one step ahead of Bradford's schemes. As Julie is to appear in court testifying against Carston, she mysteriously disappears.

Jack LaRue, J. Carroll Naish and Joseph Sawyer as Carston's hoods; with Irving Pichel, Henry O'Neill, Robert Strange, Robert Barrat and Paul Guilfoyle round up the cast. Plot was revamped by Warners as GAMBLING ON THE HIGH SEAS (1940) starring Jane Wyman, Wayne Morris and Roger Pryor in the Davis, Brent and Cortez roles. While the title SPECIAL AGENT was reused for a 1949 Paramount crime drama starring William Eythe, it is not a remake. Warners did remake SPECIAL AGENT as GAMBLING ON THE HIGH SEAS (1940), a 55 minute quickie featuring Wayne Morris, Jane Wyman and Gilbert Roland in the Brent, Davis and Cortez roles.

Being one of many crime capers of the 1930s, SPECIAL AGENT is another one of those films that holds interest throughout its fast-paced 76 minutes. Considering the fact that she is a secondary character to George Brent's leading performance, Bette Davis is of sole interest who makes this minor crime caper special for film buffs. Her role could have been played by any studio contract player as Ann Dvorak or Margaret Lindsay, and still be satisfactory, but is fine just the way it is. While Ricardo Cortez could play detectives (the 1931 edition of "The Maltese Falcon") or good-natured characters (1932's "Symphony of Six Million") with conviction, it is his recurring typecasting here as the czar of racketeers that gathers him more attention away from its leading players.

SPECIAL AGENT, which never had a home video distribution but available on DVD, can be seen on cable television's Turner Classic Movies. (***)

Davis is great, but Jack Larue and Robert Strange are better!

[JohnHowardReid · 8/10 · 12 December 2017]

Director: WILLIAM KEIGHLEY. Screenplay: Laird Doyle, Abem Finkel. Story idea: Martin Mooney. Photography: Sid Hickox. Film editor: Clarence Kolster. Art director: Esdras Hartley. Music director: Leo F. Forbstein. Producers: Sam Bischoff in association with Martin Mooney. A Claridge Picture.

Copyright 20 September 1935 by Warner Brothers Pictures, Inc. Presented by Warner Brothers Pictures, Inc and The Vitaphone Corp. New York opening at the Strand: 18 September 1935. Australian release: 25 December 1935. 9 reels. 76 minutes.

SYNOPSIS: Agent goes undercover as a friendly reporter to get the goods on an elusive gangster. He romances the crime czar's book- keeper, but falls in love with the girl.

NOTES: Re-made by Warner Bros in 1940 as "Gambling on the High Seas" with Jane Wyman, Wayne Morris and Gilbert Roland.

COMMENT: Here's a script that would undoubtedly have made an engrossing "B" picture, now dressed up with such appealing production values, it offers superlative entertainment as an "A".

In addition to its pacy yet meticulous direction, and moodily atmospheric photography, the picture presents real class in its cast. For once the goodies almost keep level with the heavies. Brent is ideal as the crusading hero, whilst Miss Davis offers just the right touch of dowdy appeal to her in-too-deep book-keeper. In a much smaller role, Pichel delivers some effective lines as a the D.A.

On the heavies' side of the ledger, the opposition can scarce go wrong with actors of the caliber of Ricardo Cortez (a truly frightening performance), J. Carroll Naish (one of his most sinister roles), Joe Sawyer (hideously convincing) and treacherous Paul Guilfoyle. Even William B. Davidson has a half-decent role for once as a crooked lawyer. Keen cameo watchers will also spot Wheeler Oakman as the out-of-town kidnapper. And back with the good guys, you'll notice Charles Middleton and Thomas Jackson have small roles as office cops who relay information to Emmett Vogan's radio announcer.

Frankly, though, I thought the two really stand-out players were Jack LaRue and Robert Strange. The former is wonderfully bent, whilst the latter, playing a crooked crook, gives such a nervily charismatic performance as to steal a scene from even the fiendishly impassive Cortez. The sequence in which LaRue inveigles Strange into parting with $50,000 is a gem.

OTHER VIEWS: Justly described by Frank S. Nugent in The New York Times as "a crisp, fast-moving and thoroughly entertaining melodrama", it's a shame that Special Agent has such a poor reputation today.

The reason for this peculiar and totally undeserved downgrade is simply due to Bette Davis, who spent more than fifty unrelenting years attacking this film (and others she claims she was "forced into" by Jack L. Warner around this time) on the grounds that both the movie and the role were unworthy of her vastly superior talents.

Her part admittedly is third in importance to Cortez and Brent. Also it offers few opportunities for scene-chewing or look-at-me- I'm-a-great-actress hysterics. But the part is by no means the "stinker" Miss Davis so often described, and her performance is actually quite apt and very suitably subdued.

Ricardo Cortez is wonderfully evil

[zoshchenko · 8/10 · 22 July 2020]

I like Ricardo Cortez, catch him whenever one of his movies comes on... which isn't very often sad to say. This is a pretty good film with plenty of suspense. Yeah a lot of cliches and Hollywood stuff but still it was very good. Also got to see a little different side of Joe Sawyer who has a supporting role as one of Carston's thugs.

If you like these old 30's gangster movies then I highly recommend it.

And of course seeing Bette Davis from very early in her career is quite a treat!

A Rather Entertaining Gangster Film Bouyed By Effective Efforts From A Talented Lineup.

[Starwyvern-589274 · 8/10 · 15 April 2024]

The 1930's were a productive time for Warner Bros., which was primarily the result of producing a high number of quality gangster and crime films, which usually tended to feature a big assortment of talent. One such film was this 1935 effort, which is heavily influenced by the case of notorious gangster Al Capone. The film might seem rather typical for the usual format that these Warner Bros. Pictures tended to follow, but even with that said, there's no denying that it's very entertaining.

Special Agent is a fast-paced but rather engaging gangster picture. While it might seem to be a standard effort in regards to the formula that such films usually applied, it has enough to make it stand out from some of the others. In addition to that, it also has just about everything that made these types of films worth seeing. With an interesting story, a talented cast, and some effective directing, this film manages to be another good entry in the studio's gangster series.

The film tells the story of a gangster based heavily on Al Capone. Alexander Carston is a crime kingpin who nobody can seem to touch, with his power seemingly being impenetrable. The Federal Government has been doing everything they can to bring him down, but try as they might, they can't seem to do anything about it. Before long, a newspaper reported named Bill Bradford is deputized as a treasury agent by the Interval Revenue Bureau to uncover enough evidence so that Carston can be hit with a charge of tax evasion. In order to do this, he has to infiltrate Carston's organization to achieve cooperation with Julie Gardner, Carston's bookkeeper, the only one who has access to Carston's records. What ultimately results is an effective crime drama that is rather different from the usual Warner Bros. Formula, but that is in no idea a detraction.

Compared to some of the other Warner Bros. Gangster films, this one is rather novel, because it doesn't have that much violence in it (although when it does, it does get rather violent). Instead, the film focuses more on the writing and the interactions with the characters. One of the best moments in the film involves Carston giving a speech of Bradford, in which he smugly gloats that somebody like him is above the law, and that no matter how hard the Feds try, they will never be able to convict him. However, there are some violent scenes in the film, such as moment where some of Carston's goons kill somebody who is going to be testifying against him, and in the process, they also kill a few bystanders who happened to be nearby. There's also the climax, which while brief, gets rather intense as the Fed close in one some more of Carston's minions.

The film also benefits from the fact that, par for the course for a film like this, the acting is great. George Brent gives a very good performance as the reporter turned agent who is tasked with bringing down Carston. Brent brings a sense of charm to his role that makes him easy to admire and hopeful that he will succeed in his objective. The always great Bette Davis is as usual, an absolute joy to see, with her having a tendency to steal the audience's attention whenever she's in front of the camera, not to mention that some of her interactions with Brent were rather delightful. Ricardo Cortez was positively brilliant as the Al Capone-esque Carston, a slimy and smarmy gangster who is lowkey, but nevertheless, extremely ruthless. Henry O'Neil put in a solid effort as the DA who recruits Brent for the task of getting Carston, with him having a sense of determination that shows he's quite confident that Brent's character will be the one to do it. Ultimately, as one would expect from a film like this one, the cast manages to utilize their talents to a positive effect.

To reiterate, Special Agent is a rather entertaining film that makes for another solid entry in the Warner Bros. Gangster repertoire. While the film might be less violent than some of the similar films of the era, it does get rather dark at certain intervals, and in other intervals, it manages to play up the more suspenseful elements. Furthermore, it's also worth seeing to see a talented lineup bringing out their talents.

BETTE AND GEORGE VERSUS THE BAD GUYS!

[tcchelsey · 10/10 · 27 June 2022]

What's next for Bette Davis and George Brent? How about a little gangster thriller, which was a thinly disguised story about gangster Al Capone. Here slick Ricardo Cortez is the center of attention as the government is closing in on him and his shady activities. Leading the pack is Brent, playing the handsome special agent while Davis is cast as Cortez's secretary. Guess what happens when they meet, huh? This was an early film for both stars, and usually Davis would complain in later years how these lower budget productions were nothing more than time killers. However, it was Brent who said he did not like this film! Truthfully, its not a bad gangster saga, largely because of the dynamic cast. Of special note, Cortez was actually swearing in one scene, but the offensive words were cut and you can only see his lips move on screen! You can also see the reflection of the crew and cameras in one scene, off a polished car! Still fun to watch no matter what they say! Always on Warner Brothers dvd.