Sin Ship, The (1931)
** (out of 4)
A rather bland attempt at something racy, this drama features Louis Wolheim as Captain Sam McVey, a piggish, drunk and rather mean man who agrees to take aboard a preacher (Ian Keith) and his wife (Mary Astor). Turns out these two are actually criminals but the abused Astor tries to convert the Captain to a better life but will he stay on track when he finds out the truth? This early RKO production has a few good moments but in the end it's pretty weak from start to finish. The biggest problem here is the screenplay, which seems to have been put together on the run as things are constantly being thrown at us but usually nothing happens with them. There are a few supporting characters that turn up, do something to keep the film moving and then just disappear. The film runs a brief 65-minutes so I was curious if some stuff got trimmed as the movie really jumps around quite a bit and never really seems to come together at the end. One good item is that, unlike many early sound movies, takes place on real docks, a real boat deck and various other "real" locations and not just cheap sets. Keeping many of the locations real makes for a more realistic film and it even added a nice atmosphere to go along with the rough characters. The performances are a mixed bag as well with Astor stealing the film in her role of the criminal with a heart of gold. I found her very believable in both parts as she's perfect as the abused woman and she also makes us feel that she really cares for Wolheim, even if it's hard to believe a woman of her beauty would. Wolheim is good as well and perfectly comes across as the mean guy and we believe when he starts to soften up. Keith, on the other hand, is a real mixed bag because when he's playing the preacher he really comes off bad. He seems to be acting out like the gay stereotype character that we saw throughout this early part of the decade and it's silly and very annoying. When it comes time to switch and be the bad guy he's a lot more entertaining. With that said, only fans of the cast members who want to see everything they've done should check this one out. There's just not enough here to make it entertaining and the ending will leave you rolling your eyes.
