Grant Withers and Regis Toomey have been friends since they were boys. Now they work for the same railroad, Withers as a fill-in and Toomey as an engineer. Toomey invites Withers to rooom at his house, but his wife is Mary Astor, and soon they feel some sexual heat. So Withers walks out. Toomey suspects something, he and Withers quarrel.
It's a typically fine movie from director William Wellman, with lots of great scenes and performances. Unfortunately, Withers' is not one of them. He can manage the physical acting very well, but his line readings are adequate at best. His performance does not show there is anything going on except exactly what he is saying and doing at the moment. That lack of depth might be seen as appropriate for the Americanized version of Zola's LA BETE HUMAINE -- minus the murders and actual betrayals -- but it isn't terribly interesting.
Wellman keeps up interest with a great finale, and in between gives Jimmy Cagney a bit that shows what he could do on the screen right before THE PUBLIC ENEMY made him a star: he enters a dance hall on a pouring night dressed in a slicker like he's just come from a run as a fireman, peels off everything to reveal himself elegantly dressed, and dances Lilian Worth onto the parquet. With Fred Kohler, J. Farrell MacDonald, and Joan Blondell.
It's a typically fine movie from director William Wellman, with lots of great scenes and performances. Unfortunately, Withers' is not one of them. He can manage the physical acting very well, but his line readings are adequate at best. His performance does not show there is anything going on except exactly what he is saying and doing at the moment. That lack of depth might be seen as appropriate for the Americanized version of Zola's LA BETE HUMAINE -- minus the murders and actual betrayals -- but it isn't terribly interesting.
Wellman keeps up interest with a great finale, and in between gives Jimmy Cagney a bit that shows what he could do on the screen right before THE PUBLIC ENEMY made him a star: he enters a dance hall on a pouring night dressed in a slicker like he's just come from a run as a fireman, peels off everything to reveal himself elegantly dressed, and dances Lilian Worth onto the parquet. With Fred Kohler, J. Farrell MacDonald, and Joan Blondell.