Wonderful Movie

This movie is the proof that the world is becoming a sick and dumb place

Although I seem to have had higher expectations than I thought, the movie is super entertaining.

A great movie, one of the best of this year. There was a bit of confusion at one point in the plot, but nothing serious.

Brought into the NYPD to break up a racket attempting illegal unions, Walter Abel has his hands full as he deals with the unknown element with far reaching involvement in bullying the truckers delivering goods all over the country. But this doesn't worry the head man (Humphrey Bogart) who has his ways of doing what he needs to do to keep the truckers scared. Among them are George Brent and Allen Jenkins who want no part of the racket, but aren't willing to squeal either. The rackets have sinister methods which range from destroying the breaks on the truck, blowing them up and beating up those who refuse to play ball. For one veteran trucker, he finds a date with death at the Union Square subway station where it is too crowded to have witnesses.Ever since seeing this as a teenager, the subway station scene remained vivid in my mind, and I often think of it while standing on crowded train platforms. Gloria Dickson as Bogart's wife and Penny Singleton as Jenkins' spouse offer typical wifely concern with the future Blondie quite aggressive in her characterization. Interesting detail of what the racket is all about and how the racket squad deals with them adds to the interest in this enjoyable B film from the very macho Warner Brothers which released at least a dozen of tough talking films like this each year.

This was the first Humphrey Bogart movie I ever saw when I was a young kid growing up in the 60's & 70's. I first discovered Bogie on "Humphrey Bogart Theatre" on TV. I was very impressed with his portrayal of a mafia style crime boss. Gangsters were once Bogarts specialty, he was good at it, this movie pre-dates "On The Waterfront" & is almost as good. The film opens with Bogart bent on wanting to take over the entire town & muscle in on the trucking business. "I got plans & I got organization", "nothings going to stop me", "I'll make this whole town pay off from blue-backs to bankers".This is Bogart playing the lead role as John "Czar" Martin, Manhattens most powerful gang chief, Bogie is very cold & ruthless in this one & it's clear he is the main character even though he's not in every scene, most of the film focuses more on the George Brent character as one of the truckers who complies with Martins underworld organization after Bogie's henchmen sets Brents truck on fire. Eventually he & Allen Jenkins rally all the truckers against Bogart in a free for all. It's a propaganda movie showing why unions were needed & organized in the 1930's but it also shows how corrupt unions can get by bribery & intimidation by the syndicate.The absence of Bogarts character doesn't really weaken the film but creates an interesting mystique for his character is much talked about but hardly ever seen which heightens & magnifies Bogarts exciting screen presence. Like in "The Petrified Forest" Bogie played a famous celebrated John Dillinger style outlaw. He doesn't enter the film until the 2nd half of the movie but his character is mentioned consistently from the very beginning of the film creating this mystique. Kind of a sense of mystery so you just sit & watch the movie just waiting in suspense to see when "Duke Mantee" first enters & dominates the movie from that point on."Racket Busters" does a similar thing with Bogart's character as "Czar" Martin & the gimmick works & for once Bogart doesn't get killed in the end unlike his other gangsters where he gets bumped off. Sometimes less is more, a character that lays low or not seen much makes the character that much more interesting & desirable. In "The Maltese Falcon" Floyd Thursby was a character much talked about all through the entire movie..... but never seen. I have a bootleg copy of "Racket Busters" & I don't think it's out on DVD yet, it should be because it's not too bad, it's a standard programmer & it's worth watching if you're a fan of Bogart & gangster films like I am. Racket Busters is the precursor to On The Waterfront. What more can be said ?

Racket Busters (1938) ** (out of 4) Tired crime flick from Warner has Humphrey Bogart playing a racketeer who decides to form a truckers union so that he can take over all the store, drivers and the produce. If people don't go along with this they end up beaten but one man (George Brent) decides to stand up to them. I've always been a fan of Warner's various "B" pictures but this one here left me disappointed for many reasons. For starters, the screenplay really doesn't offer up anything that original as we've seen this story countless times before. Some might say that all of these pictures had the same story and that's true to an extent but I think most took that basic structure and tried to do things their own way. That really doesn't happen here because there isn't a single second in the film where you feel anything for the stuff that's going on. Some of this problem should fall on the shoulders of Bacon who seems to be sleep walking in his director's chair. He usually manages this type of material quite well but perhaps he too found the story boring. Another problem is the D.A. who is extremely boring and his character just doesn't have enough fire behind him to make anyone interested in anything he has to say. Even the performances are rather disappointing as Bogart doesn't do too much and doesn't have half the energy he usually delivers in this type of role. It was somewhat fun seeing Brent in this type of picture but the screenplay doesn't do him any justice either. The normally reliable Allen Jenkins is here playing the comic sidekick but even he can't deliver any laughs. The movie is mildly entertaining if you're a fan of this genre but I think most people are going to sit here and just know that there are much better movies out there and this here is strictly by the numbers.

"Racket Busters" is a Warner Brothers period piece that zeroes in on racketeering in the food and trucking business of the 1930's. John "Czar" Martin (Humphrey Bogart) has his sights set on the entire industry, seeking tribute from everyone in the food chain through intimidation and bribery. Denny Jordan (George Brent) is the wavering hero, who at first stands up to the mob, but falls victim to their tactics after stealing a mob satchel to provide for his ailing wife. Martin is willing to overlook Jordan's indiscretion, provided he cooperates with Martin's plans to take over the trucker's association. A few of the truckers stand true to their ideals throughout the film - "Pop" (Oscar O'Shea), the father figure of the working stiffs; and Skeets Wilson (Allen Jenkins), a friend of Jordan's who manages to see through the corruption even after his friend falls under Martin's influence. Future "Blondie" star Penny Singleton is on hand as Skeets' fiancée, providing a moral anchor for her man.The film is fairly formulaic, with the bad guys holding the upper hand for most of the film, but after "Pop" is murdered, and Skeets takes the lead in riling the truckers to action, Jordan wakes up to the reality of the situation and takes up the cause once again. In a climactic scene, Jordan and Martin duke it out, as special prosecutor Hugh Allison (Walter Abel) finally collects enough damaging evidence to put Martin away for years to come. Humphrey Bogart is top billed, but it's George Brent who has more screen time and is the film's center of interest. Allen Jenkins does a credible job, keeping the faith even as his tomato commission business takes it on the chin. "Racket Busters" is not as hard edged as the title might make it seem, but it deserves at least a single viewing. For another Bogey film with a trucking theme, try 1940's "They Drive by Night", co-starring George Raft.