WHAT PRICE CRIME

US, 1935, 63 minutes, Black and white.
Charles Starrett, Noel Madison, Virginia Cherrill.
Directed by Albert Herman.

This is a very brief action drama of the mid 1930s, a supporting feature. It is interesting and entertaining in its way, indicating how much action could be crammed into an hour-long film.

Basically, the film is about rackets in gun smuggling across borders, robberies from government arms centres. Arrestingly, the first minute or two is all filmed with shadows of characters carrying out a robbery and aiming a gun.

The film introduces the head of the rackets who owns a very fashionable nightclub. The film also introduces an agent who has been crashed into by a rather reckless driver with her mother, but he is charmed by her – eventually meeting again because she is the sister of the racketeer.

The plan is for the agent to go undercover, posing as a boxer, getting himself into the good graces of the racketeer. This means that there is a substantial boxing sequence. At the nightclub, there are also dancing girls.

As regards romance, plenty of that, the young woman, suspecting that the boxer has a suspicious past, decides to reform him. Not that he needs any reform!

The boxer ingratiating herself with a nightclub owner, is given some tasks – but is seen by another thug talking to the authorities. However, the undercover agent covers himself, is given permission to drive to the arms factory. In the meantime, a news item is planted that he has shot agents and so proves himself once more to the racketeer who gives him an even bigger job. However, the truck is fitted with microphone and radio connection as well as a police siren.

Everyone converges on the headquarters of the racketeer who transports the guns – shootouts, smoke bombs, the death of the racketeer, and the required happy ending.

Not bad of its kind.