To me, this movie is perfection.

Am i the only one who thinks........Average?

A film with more than the usual spoiler issues. Talking about it in any detail feels akin to handing you a gift-wrapped present and saying, "I hope you like it -- It's a thriller about a diabolical secret experiment."

One of the film's great tricks is that, for a time, you think it will go down a rabbit hole of unrealistic glorification.

Early WB "Pulled from the Headlines" Story that in this Case the "Headlines" were Literally the Gist of the Movie. This is One of those Newspaper Exposes Popular in the Early Thirties when "Print" was The Thing. Gangsters could be Exposed and Brought Down by "The Press" that could Alert Authorities and Stir Public Outrage. "Crusaders" was a Term Often Used to Describe those Pushing to Remove Vice and Murder from the Streets.In this One, Silent Star Richard Bartholomew, Regis Toomey, and Fay Wray are the Headliners with Clark Gable (in his fourth film) Supporting. The Film has its Moments of Intrigue Concerning Payoffs and Gangs, Crime Reporters and Ethics. There is Quite a Contrast here from the Spit-Fire Dialogs that were a Trademark of the Genre and Bartholomew's Slow Delivery and Stiff Performance may put Some to Sleep. But it is a Relief from the Usual Machine Gun Spouting that was Routine at the Time.Regis Toomey is, well, Breezy as Breezy the Third Wheel in this Triangle and Fay Wray has that Pleasant Voice and Delivery and is Filmed Quite Cute. Clark Gable, some say, Steals the Show but His Character here doesn't do much Except Maybe in a Scene or Two, and is OK but Surely Nothing Special.There are some Pre-Code Interest like an Unrepentant Protagonist and Pre-Marital Overnighting, but Not Much Else. Overall, Based on a True Story and with Enough Interest to Recommend, this One is Not a Must See but is Worth a Watch.

Most of the lines delivered in this film convey no emotional content. As a result, the entire film has little impact.The story is not believable, mostly due to the performance of Richard Barthlemess, who plays the main character, Breckinridge Lee. Lee is a small-town reporter who moves to the big city and becomes a crime reporter. The love interest is played by Fay Wray, who has her moments. But only Clark Gable really shines through the dullness of this production.It's a shame, really, because the storyline has real potential. If only it had been fleshed out and given to an actor who could portray the important emotions: the uncertainty of the fish-out-of-water, the man in love with the woman, the fear of the reporter involved in something dangerous, the distress of a man torn between love and shame.

This is perhaps the creakiest of all crime or journalism films, a yawner that was passed by the snail one way and a turtle the other way. It isn't the year it was made, simply the slow-moving recitation of the dialog (except by some newcomer named Clark Gable) with deadly pauses. This is a situation where the plot is actually quite interesting but the majority of the acting deadly dull.It is the story of a novice reporter who slowly moves up the ranks at his New York newspaper reporting on corruption in the city and eventually the mouthpiece for a racketeer whom he betrays to his own detriment. Richard Barthelmess, still utilizing a silent movie acting style, is terribly unconvincing, and Fay Wray is nothing more than eye candy for the camera. Regis Toomey tries to add on some humor (including a cute toy duck) but even his jokes are delivered as if the soundtrack was deliberately slowed down. This is surprising coming from Warner Brothers in the same year of "Little Caesar", "The Public Enemy" and "Five Star Final" which took similar themes and moved them along with wild fire.What is refreshing here is the performance of Clark Gable as the racketeer who gives Barthelmess all sorts of scoops in exchange for protection from the press. His character may be amoral, but his performance is dynamic. If you must suffer through this for almost 90 minutes, be aware that the last few minutes of the film take the film up a few notches with its sudden verve, but the egg has already been laid.

Good story, but you can tell it was made in the early years of talkies - very slow, deliberate movements, and LOTS of dark eye makeup on everyone. The supporting cast is the strength of this movie - Fay Wray (2 years before King Kong) plays the love interest Marcia Collins. Clark Gable (eight years before Gone with the Wind) is the antagonist-designee Louis Blanco, who is helping to cover up the naughty things his boss is doing. Blanco is trying to convince reporter Breckenridge Lee, played by Richard Barthelmess to help them cover up the naughty things going on in this fair city. I love the line by Fay Wray that she can tell he's from the South from his accent, although the only accent I can hear is some dropped R's, (since he was raised in New York). Unfortunately, Barthelmess, who is very wooden and stiff, being used to working in the silent movies, is the main character and the weakest link here. Note in his list of films, he made about sixty silent films prior to 1930, but very few after that - probably his best known talkie would be "Only Angels have Wings" with Cary Grant.