A foggy nighttime Dublin. Down-and-out brute Victor McLaglen will betray his friend for £20 to get him and his girlfriend (Margot Grahame) away to America. His friend is Wallace Ford, his sister Heather Angel and mother Una O'Connor. With J.M. Kerrigan (McLaglen's mate), Joe Sawyer, Neil Fitzgerald, Donald Meek. Made in three weeks at RKO for $200,000, Ford was largely left alone by producers who couldn't even bother to read the story, which was by Ford's cousin Liam O'Flaherty - the screenplay was by Dudley Nichols.
It's quite unlike Ford's later work - very atmospheric and stylish - he himself thought it lacked humour. But it's such a striking piece of work, and McLaglen's characterisation so full-bodied and good, that it doesn't really need it. (Love the way he pushes people out of his way, like they're weightless.) Good cast all. Joseph August is the fine cameraman, and there's an early Max Steiner score.
McLaglen was a travelling prizefighter, served in the Far East in WWI where he became head of military police in Bagdad. He was spotted for movies in 1920 and moved to America. He won the Oscar for this, as did Ford, Nichols and Steiner, and those producers who couldn't be bothered with it suddenly wanted their names on it, but it was too late.
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