Menaces sur la ville

George Brent was great at playing the gentleman, whether that gentleman was a wealthy man of great stature in the community, or whether he was a struggling up-and-comer as he was in "Lilly Turner". He always played a guy who knew who he was and the path he was on. This story of the syndicate attempting to take over the trucking industry by force is sunk not only by a rather formulaic script, but by Brent in the lead in a role that looks like it was written more for James Cagney or maybe even Paul Muni.

Brent plays Denny Jordan, an independent trucker who is out for himself, thinks with his fists, and even squishes a tomato into the face of his partner, Skeets (Allen Jenkins), for no particular reason other than he seems to think it's funny. This is just not appealing stuff for George Brent fans to watch. Humphrey Bogart is perfectly cast as the head of the syndicate, but he spends very little time on screen, usually just a few seconds at a time as he barks orders at subordinates about the next move they should make.

It's pretty bad when the thinking man in the film, Skeets, is portrayed by Allen Jenkins, who usually plays the well-meaning if somewhat thick-skulled comic relief. Penny Singleton is a breath of fresh air as Gladys Christie, Skeet's girl who seems surprised every time her man gets a good idea or runs into a piece of good luck.

I'd skip this one. It's not terrible, it just does nothing to distinguish itself in either the plot or performance categories.