The Pay-Off

This film tells the story of an well bred and mannered man (Lowell Sherman) who happens to be the boss of an underworld racket. When one of his henchmen robs a young couple about to get married, he feels sorry for them and takes them in as his family, only to have other henchmen in his crime unit make them stooges in robberies.

An early sound film (1930) directed by Lowell Sherman, the stand out performance here is by Sherman himself. He has a very natural and easy going style of acting, making me curious to see other films in which he starred. The plot of the film, though not very believable, still makes for interesting viewing.

This film begins with New York's stupidest couple (Hugh Trevor and Marian Nixon) falling asleep on a park bench. When a cop wakes them, it's the middle of the night. Now you'd THINK a sane couple would immediately leave the park. Instead, dopey Rocky begins talking rather loudly and imprudently about the $200 plus that he's carrying on him!! It's really hard to believe anyone could be that dumb--and this is clearly a sign of poor writing. Not surprisingly, a thug overhears them and robs the young couple.

Now if this happened to you, what would you do? Well, these rocket scientists decide to don masks and hold up a group of crooks to get the money they were saving in order to get married!! The plan, naturally, backfires and the big boss-man, Gene Fenmore (Lowell Sherman) feels sorry for them and takes him under his wing. They do not realize he's the local mob leader and think he's just a swell guy. At first, their good fortune seems assured but later Fenmore's shady dealings end up getting the couple arrested for a crime they didn't commit. So what's next? The only reason to watch this film is to watch Sherman. He was a fine actor and very few of his films are seen today. He had a very likable and natural style and "The Pay-Off" is no exception. Unfortunately, the film is full of silly writing and a decent idea for a film is squandered. Not great but still very watchable despite its many deficits.

Lowell Sherman was a very versatile man in the world of early film. He was successful in both silents and talkies. He could play a dastardly heel (Sanderson in Way Down East) as well as a good hearted man, as seen in this film. He could act, direct, or both, as he does in The Pay-Off. There were a few issues with the film, mainly due to it being from 1930 - the dialogue is sometimes fuzzy and tough to hear, and at some points, some of the actors overact, as was typical for an early talkie. Still, the film is very good for a 1930 talkie. Sherman's performance is magnificent, as his acting seems as natural as can be, as though he'd been making talkies for years. The film is just over an hour and moves at a quick pace to keep the viewer interested. There's a mix of older and younger actors in the film, and as a whole, the acting is pretty good. Overall the film is an 8/10 and definitely worth watching.

Another Alpha Video $4.99 DVD bringing a forgotten pre-WWII second (or third?) matinee feature to the DVD player.

A young couple sits in a faux Central Park late at night contemplating their marriage the next day. Fortunately the lad has saved $260 towards their life together. But a real nasty bad guy overhears them and holds them up taking every dime.

But...the almost groom recognizes the creep as a guy who hangs out in the building where he's a super's schlepper (that's NYC talk). So he and fiancee attempt to regain the money by armed robbery and blow it. They're captured by the gang.

The gang, which does high values burglaries and robberies, is headed by a suave guy, Gene Foreman, played actually with some insight by Lowell Sherman who was at the tail end of his acting career. Perhaps he knew that: he seems genuinely sad throughout the film.

Foreman eschews violence-he's a dapper dan in tails who gets leads to promising heists through wining and dining the rich. Foreman sort of adopts the young couple and the girl really likes him. Her boyfriend worries about losing this gem who intones "squeeze me" whenever she's scared, needs affectionate reassurance or both.

The really nasty dude, Rocky, is murdered and the couple are the suspects. Foreman magnificently rises to the occasion, his acting transcending the limitations of predictable plot, sets less realistic than those on "The Honeymooners" and a supporting cast of deservedly unknowns.

Fun flick from the past.

5/10

The Pay-Off (1930)

** 1/2 (out of 4)

Young lovers (Marian Nixon, William Janney) run off to get married but while talking about the money they have saved, they're robbed by a thug (Hugh Trevor) who happens to be working under gangster Gene Fenmore (Lowell Sherman). Soon the two young ones attempt to hold up the gangsters and finding their effort good, Gene takes both of them under his wing to try and give them a better life.

THE PAY-OFF is another one of those early talking pictures that deal with love, gangsters and of course a morality tale. The film certainly isn't a masterpiece or even very good but if you're a fan of this era of filmmaking then it's certainly worth watching at least once thanks to a decent story and a nice leading performance by Sherman.

At just 71 minutes the film moves at a very good pace and for the most part it keeps you entertained throughout. The film does have some weak performances scattered throughout and that includes Trevor who comes across quite laughable at times. This is especially true during the scene where him and his girlfriend hold up the gangsters. The film also suffers from some pretty far-fetched, overly-cute moments that don't help anything.

I thought Sherman was quite good in the lead role and that he was also very believable in the part of a gangster who tries to do things with the human life being respected. THE PAY-OFF is worth watching if you're a fan of films from this era but just don't expect a masterpiece.