This Movie Can Only Be Described With One Word.

Most undeservingly overhyped movie of all time??

Am i the only one who thinks........Average?

Excellent and certainly provocative... If nothing else, the film is a real conversation starter.

"Make hay while the sun shines and whoopee while the moon shines." So speaks Evelyn Brent, the glamorous operator of a casino where the booze flows as the bullets fly. With Brent's line, you know that you are in the world of pre-code Hollywood where pretty much anything goes. This drama focuses on Brent's love for decent Regis Toomey, the son of the cop who killed her father. Add in other elements of organized crime muscling in on her, and you've got a pretty spicy tale of cafe society when sobriety was not an option no matter what the law said.Other than some moments when certain actors speak very slowly, this is a rather interesting look at what was going on during that free for all era of prohibition. Brent's not quite a Texas Guinan or Sophie Tucker, but don't let her all American girl look fool you. Toomey, better in supporting parts, remains one of the true curiosities as a leading man, being totally bland. This reminded me of "Shopworn", another pre-code drama with similar themes, except in that film, it was a possessive mother father than a disproving father that also featured Toomey. Ralfe Harold a rather slimy rival. As pre- code films go, this is an early talkie example of how enjoyable they could be, even if the technical standards needed improving.

Creaky, but Sometimes Clever, this Early Talkie was Headlined by Evelyn Brent, Hardly a Household Name. But Her Acting Ability, Especially Making the Transition from the Silents, is Obvious and She Shines in this Male Oriented Gangster Film.Regis Toomey, in an Early Role, is Underused and Bland, but as Brent Carries the Film it Plods Along with the Expected Datedness that Plagued the Era from 1927-to about 1933. Hollywood's Transition from Silents to Talkies was, Like All Births, Painful at Times.This One Fares Pretty Good, but Cannot Escapes the Confines of its Playdate. Worth a Watch to See the Unknown Brent and as a Bridge Roughly Traveled as Filmdom was Finding its Feet with New Technology. The Opening and Closing are Stylistic and Connected, the Middle Meanders a bit, but Manages to be Entertaining Enough to Recommend.Note...There is very little Pre-Code Inclusions worth noting and the Film would have passed the Censors with no problem.

I am really shocked that "Framed" is not a more famous film. I am also surprised that it's somehow lapsed into the public domain--an inglorious ending to a terrific gangster film.Evelyn Brent plays Rose Manning--one of the hardest dames you could ever see in Pre-Code gangster films. Shortly after the film begins, Rose learns that the one person in life she cared about, her father, has been killed in a shootout with the cops. She blames Inspector McArthur (William Holden--NOT the one you're thinking about, but an older actor of the same name) and wants her revenge. However, she's a smart cookie and her revenge will be slow in coming. In the meantime, she becomes pals with a hood named Bing (the aptly named Maurice Black) and they open a classy gambling hall named after her.Time passes and finally you learn of Rose's plan. She has seduced Inspector McArthur's very naive son, Jimmy (Regis Toomey) and she knows this will drive the Inspector nuts! How did she do it? She convinced the young dummy that she is an innocent lady who truly loves him! Not surprisingly, when Jimmy tells his father, there is a HUGE blowup between them and Jimmy won't believe that his fiancée is a criminal. However, Bing is NOT a subtle sort of guy. Despite Rose's plan, he decides the best thing to do is just kill Jimmy. But when Rose learns of this, you see that this hard-hearted dame MIGHT just have fallen for the squirt. What's next? See this film.This film has so much going for it. Most importantly, at the time this film was made, Radio Pictures was doing a great job with sound pictures. I have seen several of their films from 1929-1930 and the sound is VERY clear and the actors don't tend to stand around hidden microphones--a serious problem with many of the early talkies. Additionally, the film, while a tad sentimental at the end, is great because the bad people really are awful and the film avoids pulling its punches. I'd stack this crime film up along side the best of the genre of the day ("Little Caesar", "Scarface" and "The Public Enemy")--due to wonderful writing, acting and a professional production all around. Well worth seeing--and available for free download at archive.org.

The career of Evelyn Brent probably peaked in the end of the silent era. She made three pics with von Sternberg (Underworld; Last Command; and The Dragnet) and a solid effort with William Wellman (Woman Trap) and did make the jump to talkies, but none of HER pics were successful. This one is mostly straight revenge, taking out her emotions through the cop's son, played by a very young William Holden. Brent has an undisputable presence, and an intriguing nose, and her gowns and dresses are frequently revealing...one or two are cut so low in the back that they would be fashionable and mildly daring today. Fans of early talkies will love this!