The Great McGinty (1940)
Initially, I opted to skip this movie because I’m not generally fond of Preston Sturges. I couldn’t stand Sullivan’s Travels and assumed The Great McGinty would be written in the same sarcastic tone. But I’m so glad my love of Brian Donlevy won out and I rented it; it’s adorable! The last couple of minutes are incredibly sad, but besides that, it’s a delightful comedy.
The beginning of the movie shows a dive bar in Mexico. A depressed man tries to commit suicide, but the bartender (Brian) stops him and gives him a drink instead. He tells him that his life can’t be that bad, since he himself lived a troubled life. The rest of the movie is a giant flashback as Brian recounts how he fell from the top of the world. The suspense factor isn’t really there, because you know how he turns out, but it’s still entertaining. Personally, I think the present-day scenes could have been completely eliminated but for one element: Brian looks very handsome with gray, tousled hair.
In his flashback, he starts off as a no-good bum. He’s a tough guy who gets in on a voter fraud scheme by showing up to every precinct with a different name (all pre-arranged by a political party’s mob boss). It’s eerie because everyone knows this type of fraud has occurred in the past, still occurs now, and will continue in the future. Mob boss Akim Tamiroff is impressed by Brian’s tough-guy persona, and he hires him to collect debts in his “protection” agency. Soon, Brian rises to the top, but something’s missing: love! Brian’s devoted secretary, Muriel Angelus, falls in love with him, but will Brian notice or be too involved in crime to reciprocate?
It’s easy to see why The Great McGinty is one of Brian Donlevy’s most famous films. He’s adorable and tugs on your heartstrings when he’s nice and tries to be good. In one very well acted scene, Brian staggers around drunk, then cries in his hands when Muriel’s kids see him in such a condition. But my favorite scene is when Brian reads a bedtime story to the tots. They’re asleep, but he keeps reading because he wants to know how the story ends.
Want to watch it? Click here to see it on ok.ru and thanks "The Projection Room" for posting!
More Brian Donlevy movies here!
The beginning of the movie shows a dive bar in Mexico. A depressed man tries to commit suicide, but the bartender (Brian) stops him and gives him a drink instead. He tells him that his life can’t be that bad, since he himself lived a troubled life. The rest of the movie is a giant flashback as Brian recounts how he fell from the top of the world. The suspense factor isn’t really there, because you know how he turns out, but it’s still entertaining. Personally, I think the present-day scenes could have been completely eliminated but for one element: Brian looks very handsome with gray, tousled hair.
In his flashback, he starts off as a no-good bum. He’s a tough guy who gets in on a voter fraud scheme by showing up to every precinct with a different name (all pre-arranged by a political party’s mob boss). It’s eerie because everyone knows this type of fraud has occurred in the past, still occurs now, and will continue in the future. Mob boss Akim Tamiroff is impressed by Brian’s tough-guy persona, and he hires him to collect debts in his “protection” agency. Soon, Brian rises to the top, but something’s missing: love! Brian’s devoted secretary, Muriel Angelus, falls in love with him, but will Brian notice or be too involved in crime to reciprocate?
It’s easy to see why The Great McGinty is one of Brian Donlevy’s most famous films. He’s adorable and tugs on your heartstrings when he’s nice and tries to be good. In one very well acted scene, Brian staggers around drunk, then cries in his hands when Muriel’s kids see him in such a condition. But my favorite scene is when Brian reads a bedtime story to the tots. They’re asleep, but he keeps reading because he wants to know how the story ends.
Want to watch it? Click here to see it on ok.ru and thanks "The Projection Room" for posting!
More Brian Donlevy movies here!