Bogart, Blondell, and Robinson! and comedian Frank McHugh. all star cast! it's 1936, and mobster Al Kruger is running the local rackets, dark activities, many illegal. when the leader of the crime fighting task force is knocked off, Johnny Blake thinks he ought to get involved and try to fix things. but it's complicated. when the cops nose around, the muckity mucks in the syndicate lean on Kruger. to counter the stepped up crime activity, the cops also step up their crime fighting. interesting turn... in this one, Joan Blondell is also running some numbers game. unusual role for her. and some "twists", which aren't really surprises at all. we've seen some of these tricks so often, that we've come to expect them. Some of the story is actually based on the history of rackets in the various sections of NYC, as you will see in the Trivia section. it's pretty good. directed by william keighley, who had directed some great films: Man who Came to Dinner, Bride Came COD, Robin Hood.
Review of Bullets or Ballots
