This movie, made in 1937 by Alfred Hitchcock, reminds me an awful lot of Hitchcock's 39 STEPS (1935). Both have very similar plots involving ordinary men who were accused of a murder they didn't commit, and both concern the man escaping and ultimately finding a sympathetic lady who helped them track down the real killer. Because it is essentially the same film in so many ways, I can't see giving the film an especially high score. In addition, while the story at times is fun and the movie is a decent time-passer, there were just too many clichés and plot problems. I hate when I see a suspense or mystery film that could have ended shortly into the movie if the characters had just behaved realistically. For example, when the tramp who supposedly stole the hero's coat was located, they did not go to the police but continued to play "amateur detectives". One of the only big stand out scenes that I really liked and found exciting was the cave-in scene--similar to the excitement of Robert Donat making the getaway on the train.
Overall, nothing terribly original or believable but fun to watch and is a good film to see if you are a fan of Hitchcock--just understand that it's one of his "lesser" films.
DO NOT READ IF YOU LIKE TO TRY TO SPOT HITCHCOCK'S APPEARANCES IN HIS OWN FILMS:
As many of you know, the director loved inserting himself into the films in tiny cameos. Many times they are VERY tough to locate. For anyone looking, when the lead makes his escape out of the courtroom, Hitchcock is standing by the entrance fiddling with a camera about ten minutes into the film.
Overall, nothing terribly original or believable but fun to watch and is a good film to see if you are a fan of Hitchcock--just understand that it's one of his "lesser" films.
DO NOT READ IF YOU LIKE TO TRY TO SPOT HITCHCOCK'S APPEARANCES IN HIS OWN FILMS:
As many of you know, the director loved inserting himself into the films in tiny cameos. Many times they are VERY tough to locate. For anyone looking, when the lead makes his escape out of the courtroom, Hitchcock is standing by the entrance fiddling with a camera about ten minutes into the film.