A contrived attempt at film noir.

The character development is farcical. Matt Brady is supposedly disciplined enough to serve in WWI and rise to the rank of sergeant and become a leader of troops. He led the homecoming parade when the troops returned home. Yet, Matt was so undisciplined in civilian life that he abused the woman he loved and married Lorry, a stranger, while he was in a drunken stupor. He called Lorry unattractive and he despised her. Matt was never seen to kiss or show affection toward his wife but he was seen to slap and shove her. Lorry had to beg Matt to kiss her and he acted as if he was about to drink poison and he shoved her out of the way.

Matt also abused his older brother and father figure, Tim Brady. It was Matt's physical abuse that led to Tim's dropping dead. When Tim died, Matt magically stepped into his brother's shoes as political leader and racketeer of the town without any preparation for the job although he tried his best not to be like Tim and he despised Tim's position.

Matt goes from being an ordinary guy with no cash to purchasing $100,000 worth of jewelry for his wife only to make his former fiance jealous. Then he gives $20,000 cash to Elsie, his former fiance and now wife of his best friend and attorney. He placed a $15,000 bet on a horse. This was in the 1920s when those sums of money were unthinkable for any but the richest Americans.

It is appropriate that in the end, Matt got his comeuppance. Matt acquired his riches by corrupt tactics and he ended up losing it. He was never seen to apply himself to honest work.

The entire film seemed contrived to prop up an idiot as kingpin of a corrupt political machine. In reality, politicians are typically much more emotionally intelligent than Matt Brady. Even the corrupt politicians typically are better educated and more respectful toward women. Matt comes across as a hot-tempered bull in a china shop who can't imagine that anyone could ever beat him in a fight. This combination of arrogance and ignorance ended up spelling his doom.


As a man thinketh in his heart, so is he. - Proverbs 23:7