This early sound melodrama has to be seen to be believed as the first major film experience of future megastars Edward G. Robinson and Claudette Colbert. Had it not been them in the leads, this certainly would have been rates as a bomb because it is creaky and slow-moving and poorly acted through much of the film short running time. It's also quite absurd in how its plot is developed, with ridiculous twists and poor motivations and sudden changes in character.
Robinson is cast as a graft artist known as "The Fox", fleecing wealthy people out of their money as he arranges for their jewelry to be stolen thanks to the presence of a phony madame. When she is suddenly killed in an elevated train accident (which has to be seen to be believed for its poor special effect), Robinson hires Colbert to take her place. She has her own agenda, determined to get revenge on Louise Closser Hale who years before framed Colbert for theft in order to keep her away from her son. Colbert arranges for Hale's granddaughter to be kidnapped, planning to raise her herself so she can make Hale suffer the way she did in prison.
The fault with the film does not lie with Robinson and Colbert who had plenty of stage experience but who are not yet used to the confines of the sound camera and hampered by the poor script and direction of the film. The strange set direction tries to make the film appear to be German expressionalist, an effect that worked great with silent films but looks strange on a chlostrophobic sound stage where the camera barely moves. This is interesting from a historical aspect, but overall as a film, it is probably one of the weakest movies of the star's careers.
Robinson is cast as a graft artist known as "The Fox", fleecing wealthy people out of their money as he arranges for their jewelry to be stolen thanks to the presence of a phony madame. When she is suddenly killed in an elevated train accident (which has to be seen to be believed for its poor special effect), Robinson hires Colbert to take her place. She has her own agenda, determined to get revenge on Louise Closser Hale who years before framed Colbert for theft in order to keep her away from her son. Colbert arranges for Hale's granddaughter to be kidnapped, planning to raise her herself so she can make Hale suffer the way she did in prison.
The fault with the film does not lie with Robinson and Colbert who had plenty of stage experience but who are not yet used to the confines of the sound camera and hampered by the poor script and direction of the film. The strange set direction tries to make the film appear to be German expressionalist, an effect that worked great with silent films but looks strange on a chlostrophobic sound stage where the camera barely moves. This is interesting from a historical aspect, but overall as a film, it is probably one of the weakest movies of the star's careers.