6.9/10
789
25 user 10 critic

The Beast of the City (1932)

Police Chief Jim Fitzpatrick ruthlessly goes after organized crime and is prepared to use brutal and violent methods to fight it.

Director:

Writers:

(story), (dialogue continuity) (as John L. Mahin)
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Cast

Complete credited cast:
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Dorothy Peterson ...
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Emmett Corrigan ...
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Tom
Sandy Roth ...
Mac
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Storyline

Police Chief Jim Fitzpatrick is fighting gangster Sam Belmonte. He asks his dishonest brother Ed to keep an eye on Daisy who was connected with Belmonte. Written by Ed Stephan <[email protected]>

Plot Summary | Add Synopsis

Taglines:

A thrilling drama of hunters - and hunted, in the city jungles! (Herald). See more »

Genres:

Crime | Drama | Film-Noir

Certificate:

See all certifications »
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Details

Country:

Language:

Release Date:

13 February 1932 (USA)  »

Also Known As:

A Fera da Cidade  »

Box Office

Budget:

$230,000 (estimated)
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Company Credits

Show detailed on  »

Technical Specs

Runtime:

Sound Mix:

(Western Electric Sound System)

Aspect Ratio:

1.37 : 1
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Did You Know?

Trivia

The working title for the film was "City Sentinels". See more »

Goofs

During the bank heist, the number and position of the filing cabinets on the back of the truck changes between several shots. See more »

Quotes

Capt. Jim Fitzpatrick: I know how to make those lice talk.
See more »

Connections

Featured in Indie Sex: Censored (2007) See more »

Soundtracks

Chopsticks
(1877) (uncredited)
Traditional piano tune
Music by Euphemia Allen
Played on piano by Betty Mae Crane and Beverly Crane
See more »

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User Reviews

 
Another Entertaining Early '30s Crime Movie
11 March 2006 | by (United States) – See all my reviews

I would classify this early 1930s gangster flick as "ordinary" but that's better than you think, because these kind of movies ordinarily are fast-paced, a bit edgy, have unique language to them and generally are pretty interesting...and they are short films, which isn't always bad, either.

This one features Walter Huston as the hard-nosed committed cop trying to clean up his crime-ridden city with the eventual goal getting to the number one guy: the "beast" of the city. The ending is a wild one and commented on by a number of reviewers, here and elsewhere.

A subplot involves Huston's younger brother (Wallace Ford), also a lawman, who is corrupted and then, after being exposed, tries to atone for his sins at the end. Jean Harlow also stars in this film. Frankly, I never found her as sexy as her reputation, but she is excellent in here and very interesting to view. Finally, we also get to see a very young Mickey Rooney, as one of Huston's children. He didn't have many lines but you knew it was him with that smile and all those teeth!

Let's hope someone puts this out on DVD. It's too good to be a secret.


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