Exposed

I appreciaed "Exposed" because it dared to have a female private detective. While a few films of the 30s and 40s featured lady AMATEUR detectives (females who decide on a whim to investigate crimes--such as Torchy Blaine), I cannot recall a single one that featured a professional private eye that was a woman. For me, this novelty made the film worth seeing...even though it's a genre that is often jam-packed with cliches and sameness.

Belinda (Adele Mara) is a private eye who is approached by a rich guy. He wants her to trail his son and see what he's up to...though naturally the story goes in all sorts of unexpected directions...such as when this client ends up dead. In the end, in a very bad and very cliched final scene, Belinda gathers all the suspects in one room and essentially pulls the answer out of her...um...thin air.

The basic idea was good. The acting was good. And, although folks might think the character Chicago (Bob Steele) was ridiculous, the actor who played him was an amazing fighter and really could have done a lot of the physical stunts you see him do in the film. Unlike many movie cowboys (and Steele mostly was famous for starring in low budget cowboy pics), he was more the real deal--and could pack a strong punch. In the film, the fight scenes with him are brutal and realistic...5'5" and all. The problem for me was simply the script. It was a giant cliche at the end and was just lazy...and in the process it really missed the chance to be something really special.