GurlyIamBeach
Instant Favorite.
Platicsco
Good story, Not enough for a whole film
Calum Hutton
It's a good bad... and worth a popcorn matinée. While it's easy to lament what could have been...
Hitchcoc
This is certainly one of a kind. Edward G. Robinson is the only character to do what this guy does. For purposes of research into the criminal mind, he becomes a jewel thief. First he studies himself (of course that has limited value as research), so he needs to get into a gang to study them. Of course, he is a criminal himself because others are being victimized by him. Humphrey Bogart is a sociopath and Robinson makes him his guinea pig. It leads to a study of the most serious of crimes and a trip to court and the risk of execution. Robinson's cool Dr. Clitterhouse is a remarkably original, underplayed character. HIs motivations are pure; his methods are severe.
utgard14
Highly enjoyable WB gangster movie with Edward G. Robinson as the title character, a doctor who becomes so obsessed with understanding the criminal mind he becomes a criminal himself. It's somewhat difficult to categorize this movie. It definitely has a lot of comedy with Max Rosenbloom and Allen Jenkins especially. Not to mention all of Robinson's deadpan lines. But the overall tone is that of a straightforward gangster drama. It's a fun movie either way.Robinson is terrific, as always. He disliked doing gangster pictures but that's all WB wanted him in. So he compromised by doing gangster movies that were different from the norm. A solid cast backs him up. In addition to Jenkins and Rosenbloom mentioned before, there's Claire Trevor, Donald Crisp, and Humphrey Bogart as Rocks Valentine (what a name!). Bogart reportedly hated this role and considered it his worst. I'm not sure why that would be. It's not that different from a dozen similar gangster roles he played in the '30s. I can think of at least a couple of movies where his part was worse than this.
whpratt1
Missed viewing this great Classic 1938 Classic film which stars great veteran actors like Edward G. Robinson, (Dr. T S Clitterhouse) who is a psychiatrist and medical doctor who decides to investigate the world of crime. Dr. Clitterhouse gets himself involved with criminals and wants to do a study of what makes all these people chose the life of crime and even gives blood tests to all the criminals. Claire Trevor, ( Joe Keller) and Humphrey Bogart, (Rocks Vallentine) are a few of the people involved with Dr. Clitterhouse's study of the criminal mind. There is also some very comedy scenes and all the actors give an outstanding performance.
MartinHafer
This is a decent and VERY typical gangster film from Warner Brothers that is so similar to a long string of such films made by this studio during this era. While this might be a negative for some, fans of the genre such as myself will find that this is yet another well-written and well-acted gangster film complete with the usual Warner stars and support cast. In this case, though, the story is a bit unusual in that Edward G. Robinson plays a doctor who infiltrates a mob to test his theories concerning the criminal mind. While I admit this is a little silly, all the usual story elements combine to still make a very watchable and enjoyable film. While not among his or Bogart's best, it is a rousing good time nonetheless.
