Bullets or Ballots
Directed by William Keighley
Written by Seton I. Miller based on a story by Martin Mooney and Seton I. Miller
1936/USA
Warner Bros.
First viewing

[box] Mr. Thorndyke: Why did you try to take over the job?

Johnny Blake: I didn’t try and take it over, I took it over.[/box]

I am basically enjoying the hell out of 1936.  This Warner Bros. gangster movie, in the tradition of G-Men, is a ton of fun with classic performances from two of my main men – Edward G. Robinson and Humphrey Bogart.

Gangland is turning into racketeering with corporate leadership.  Government has been able to do little to stop it due to corruption in its own ranks.  Finally, after the assassination of a muckraking journalist, a grand jury makes Capt. Dan McLaren police commissioner and gives him a mandate to crack down.  McLaren’s right-hand man Johnny Blake (Edward G. Robinson) is suddenly fired.  The next time we see Blake he is working for gang boss Al Kruger (Barton MacLane), who is facing rebellion in the ranks.  Blake makes a name for himself by building an organized numbers racket.  But Kruger’s second-in-command ‘Bugs’ Fenner (Humphrey Bogart) believes Blake is a double-crosser and is determined to bring him down.  With Joan Blondell and Louise Beavers as small-time numbers runners and Frank McHugh as their comedy bag man.

This movie was just a joy to watch.  Bogart and Robinson were at the top of their game.  I loved watching the fleeting smirks and other expressions light up their faces.  This is fast-paced action fare, with the emphasis on bullets, not ballots.  Recommended.

Trailer