I found "Outside the Law" today on YouTube. I was excited as it was an early Edward G. Robinson film but less excited when I began watching it because the sound quality was very poor. I literally found myself turning the volume up and down repeatedly as the sound kept changing. If you can find another copy, you might want to watch that instead. This copy was watchable but annoying.
In at least three of Robinson's early films, he was inexplicably cast as an Asian guy! You wouldn't know it in this one until he introduces a Chinese woman...telling the girl that it's his mother. But he also plays more Asian guys in "The Hatchet Man" and "East is East"....and the results were, of course, ridiculous! I think some of this was because studios (in this case, Universal) had no idea what to do with this talented actor. And, not surprisingly, it will clearly offend folks today when they see this...but this sort of ridiculous racial casting was the norm in the 1930s and 40s. But the white actors USUALLY carried it off better. The major exception was "Dragon Seed" where, believe it or not, Katharine Hepburn played a Chinese woman!!!
Now although I've talked a lot about Robinson, he actually is billed second in the movie. First billed is Mary Nolan, a very self-destructive actress who lived a very wild life and died young. It's pretty sad and shocking stuff. And, here in "Outside the Law", she's a hard as nails femme fatale without any apparent redeeming value. Just watch her with the little boy....you'll see what I mean!!
The story involves Connie (Nolan) and Fingers planning a robbery. But when Cobra Collins (Robinson) sees Fingers (Owen Moore) doing a weird publicity stunt for the bank, he quickly realizes Fingers is planning on a bank job....and not an honest one! Much of the film concerns Connie trying to fool Cobra into thinking the robbery will take place later...and cutting him out of taking part of the loot. But this robbery is in Cobra's territory and he thinks he's owed at least a part of it....or else. As for Fingers, despite being a crook, he seems like a much more decent sort...and you care more about him than these other two sociopaths. So what happens next? See the film....and you WON'T suspect what actually occurs!
So is it any good? I wouldn't say yes, as the film features some ridiculous change in Connie...going from completely evil and nasty to a redemption towards the end. It just didn't make much sense and happened too quickly to be realistic. Plus, Nolan's acting and Owen Moore's aren't particularly good nor convincing. Robinson is pretty good, though I noticed his voice wasn't quite the same as it would be in his later films for Warner Brothers. In these just a year or two later, he slowed down and lowered the tone of his voice just a hair...but it was an improvement. Overall, a tough movie to love...and with Tod Browning directing I was shocked how ordinary the film actually was.
