Directed: Josef von Sternberg

Year: 1929

Nominated: Best Actor – George Bancroft

Plot in 25 Words: A good guy falls for a gangster’s moll and ends up on death row for his troubles. Some unlikely prison action and cute dog, too.

In My Opinion: I was very confused to see an introduction to this film by James Stewart. I’m not familiar with any of his work and just assumed he was in films a lot earlier then I’d previously thought. Once the main feature about war planes had started, I realised my mistake!

Once I’d finally found the right version I really enjoyed it.

There were plot holes a tank could have been driven through – or potentially accurate to the age and different to now moments, I’m not quite sure which!

Half the film was set in a prison’s death row. Quite possibly the world’s most  relaxed death row! They have pets, a show choir, and from time to time the warden calls upon the prisoners to help restrain the other prisoners. The warden, looking like Fort Boyard’s professor, doesn’t appear to be in full control of his faculties, let alone the whole prison. He has a sycophantic respect for the notorious murderer in his prison.

This was a very well done film with appropriate moments of comedy and drama,  but there was some plot contrivances that I was not convinced by. A man convicted of multiple crimes, including murder, is put on death row now, then years later a man is dubiously convicted of one manslaughter and is scheduled to die first. But that could be a misunderstanding of the American penal system in the 20s.

I didn’t believe some of the characters either. Personally, if I were framed for murder and due to be executed, all for the crime of falling in love with the wrong person, and the man responsible for said framing ‘fessed up at the last minute, I would not be disappointed or apologetic when he took his walk to the chair.

Despite my disbelief at the premise there was some moments of brilliance. The relationship between Thunderbolt and his dog shone throughout. From the comedy of seeing a high-powered, hard-faced gangster on his hands and knees, waggling his bum to entice the dog to play, to the slightly heart breaking shot of the dog following Thunderbolt to the death chamber.

I also found the forced speed impediment of one of the nightclub waiters to be hilarious. Not sure why they decided to give the character a stutter, but oh the actor struggled!

Star Performer: George Bancroft as Thunderbolt. Evil piece of work, yet his antics with the dog and the warden almost had me rooting for me. Almost!

Overall: It gripped me. The plots of some of these old films have rarely had any surprises, but I was genuinely hooked and unsure which way this film would end. Parts were quite unbelievable but never resorted to panto levels of silliness. One of the best so far this year.