What struck me very quickly was the fact that this was obviously made from current events at that time in New York where Thomas Dewey had just been newly elected the District Attorney of New York County as "gangbuster" to counteract the racketeering Tammany bosses and corrupt judges.
The story plays out the events of witnesses being too scared to give over evidence in court against protection rackets which wreck businesses that don't co-operate with money demands. Even those beat up, scarred, and so forth are too afraid, once they reach court time, to give evidence. John Litel is hired to break up the racketeering. He's a fine actor, and he gives a good account of himself. However, he's far outshined by Dick Purcell who plays a strong-arm cop who ends up an assistant to Litel. Purcell would rather use brawn than brains. Yes, it's an old, old story and you've seen it a thousand times. Still, Purcell pulls it off very well, and he's fun to watch. One of the criticisms that was given - and is valid - is his rather Chauvinistic attitude towards Virginia Dale who is a couple of things for the film: she is a secretary to the corrupt boss of bosses (although she doesn't know her boss is corrupt until too late), and she becomes the girlfriend of Purcell, and she also is the person who can convict her boss. Her boss, by the way, is found floating dead in a bay... Or is it her boss?
It's well worth the watch if you like 30's crime dramas. For the record, the secondary cast in this show is loaded to the gills with great character actors and actresses and some who would become much better known later. Some of the secondary performers are John Hamilton (Superman's boss on the 50's TV show), Lane Chandler, Carole Landis, Hooper Atchley, Veda Ann Borg, and John Harron.
