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by Frank Showalter

The Criminal Code

C+: 3 stars (out of 5)
1930 | United States | 97 min | More...

Howard Hawks’s second sound picture. A competent prison-reform drama that nevertheless feels like a work-for-hire job. Walter Huston’s electric as a former district attorney turned prison warden, and Boris Karloff maximizes his role as a grudge-bearing convict. But Phillips Holmes doesn’t register as the hard-luck protagonist. Ditto Constance Cummings as his love interest.

Viewing History

  • Watched on
    Wed, Nov 18, 2020 via DVD (Karloff: Criminal Kind, TCM Vault Collection, 2013)