Grade: C-
Synopsis: A special agent (Humphrey Bogart) tries to reform a gang of kids (The Dead End Kids) in a reform school run by a sadistic warden.
Crime School is a mediocre entry in the delinquent youth genre, though, watching the film, you’re likely to get the feeling that you’ve seen it before.
That’s because the plot is basically lifted from another Humphrey Bogart picture, San Quentin (1937), only this time Bogart plays the Pat O’Brien role, and the Dead End Kids play Bogart’s role. This actually works out surprisingly well, as Bogart is believable as a former street hood who broke free of the cycle of poverty and crime to become a respected government official.
For their part, the Dead End Kids are passable. As always, their shtick doesn’t age well, and without Bogart, the film would be a waste, but the Kids do manage to avoid dragging the picture down.
Finally, there’s the obligatory social justice message at the film’s end, about how there will always be kids like these as long as the good citizens of the world allow such slums to exist, but overall the mercifully short 85-minute running time isn’t too preachy.
Bottom Line: Crime School is worth a look for Bogart fans, but others would be better off watching the superior Angels with Dirty Faces (1938) instead.
