Below the Deadline (1929) User Reviews

Below Par

[boblipton · 4/10 · 26 September 2002]

This is a long, static mess of a crime drama. Although the cinematographer obviously worked hard to make this visually interesting we can judge it against contemporary crime dramas such as Von Sternberg's stylish UNDERWORLD, Browning's brooding WHITE TIGER and Badger's funny PATHS TO PARADISE. This was at the height of Hollywood's final burst of cinematographic innovation before sound films put it in a straitjacket for ten years.

Ignoring the flair of others, director and star McGowan managed to turn out a movie that is stagy, dull and depressingly obvious. Far too much of the story is told with title cards and the characters' motivations are strained to the limit to justify their actions. Avoid this one.

Not completely satisfying, but fascinating all the same!

[JohnHowardReid · 7/10 · 26 March 2014]

NOTES: This movie was definitely photographed at sound speed, and it is full of sound effects cues. It also seems to me that the introductory scene between McGowan and Walter Merrill had spoken dialogue, otherwise it's hard to explain away the odd interpolation of a long camera close-up in which Merrill volubly welcomes his visitor, McGowan. Normally, this insert close-up of Merrill welcoming his visitor would have been trimmed, but to allow it to run at this length can only be explained if McGowan and his film editor were both incompetent OR it was actually a real talking sequence. But, aside from these "proofs", whether Below the Deadline was actually issued with a dialogue, music and effects track is not definitely known. The otherwise excellent Alpha DVD has no spoken dialogue or sound effects at all.

COMMENT: A silent film photographed at sound speed, Below the Deadline is a fascinating curiosity. It's good to see director J.P. McGowan in a lead role. He really does it well, and also draws excellent performances from most of his support cast, particular Barbara Worth as the Clayton's heroine and Frank Leigh as the gangland boss. Some might say Virginia Sale's contribution as the pickpocket landlady outstayed its welcome, but I enjoyed it. I also liked Tiny Ward's obese contribution to the gangland roster. True, our producer, good old George R. Batcheller, was always a tight man with a dollar and we do get a bit sick of seeing the same confined stairway set not only repeatedly used, but made to do double duty!