Two men are released from prison. One gets a job; the other, with his jailbird reputation, winds up stealing and getting caught. However, character is what you do when under stress....
The casual modern viewer will notice overacting, even by the style of the era. What may go unobserved is the perfection of the pantomime story-telling. There's not a title after the beginning, yet this liberal tale of forgiveness proceeds apace. Part of this is the simplicity of the plot. The other is the excellence of the cast, which includes Alice Joyce, whose starring career would extend into the sound era, and two future directors: J.P. McGowan, who would prosper in action and westerns, and George Melford, who would be one of the leading visual stylists of American cinema.
The movie could afford a bit of trimming. It runs a trifle slowly at times. It does, however, get the job done.
The casual modern viewer will notice overacting, even by the style of the era. What may go unobserved is the perfection of the pantomime story-telling. There's not a title after the beginning, yet this liberal tale of forgiveness proceeds apace. Part of this is the simplicity of the plot. The other is the excellence of the cast, which includes Alice Joyce, whose starring career would extend into the sound era, and two future directors: J.P. McGowan, who would prosper in action and westerns, and George Melford, who would be one of the leading visual stylists of American cinema.
The movie could afford a bit of trimming. It runs a trifle slowly at times. It does, however, get the job done.
