Show Them No Mercy

This is a delightful film about four guys who just received the ransom money for a kidnapping that they pulled off. Headed by Caesar Romero in a classic performance as the gang's leader this is a must see. The best part of the film starts a bit earlier as Rochelle Hudson and Edward Norris arrive at the gang's house for refuge because their car broke down close by in a torrential rainstorm. Hudson and Norris have their baby daughter and their dog with them. After retiring for the night the kidnappers return with the ransom money and hold Hudson and Norris captives and then the fun begins. It's a typical story that might not sound interesting but you'll love it if you watch it! All the acting is great, however, in my estimation, this film would have been a dud if it weren't for Hudson, the dog, and Norris. Romero even got some dancing in even though this movie isn't a musical. Hope you catch it.

This movie, about a young couple with a baby accidentally getting involved with a band of gangsters being hunted by the FBI, is one of the greatest obscure crime films of the 1930's. The pace is lively, the suspense is exhilarating, and the cast is just about charming and watchable as can be. Cesar Romero is incredibly evil in this film, Bruce Cabot is as sturdy and intense as he was in King Kong, and Edward Brophy is, as always, a ton of fun to watch. Watching this film is like eating a bag of really good candy. It grabs you right from the start and then zips through the motions of it's thin plot with an efficient grace, hitting all of the right spots and not wasting a second. It's a most satisfying film. See it and have a blast.

Show Them No Mercy! is a very rough and tumble tale of a gang of criminals that abduct a young couple in a farmhouse. It was directed by George Marshall with verve and energy to spare, and has one of the best casts of hard guys one could ask for. The movie is a product of the G-man era, and reflects a Mid-Depression America increasingly intolerant of criminals. Characters are nicely developed and tend to be eccentric without becoming fey. One of them is genuinely frightening. Criminals, especially kidnappers, were not suffered gladly in the Depression era. One feels within the movie itself a sense of outrage. The film, though tense, has at times a pastoral quality in its quieter moments due to its rural setting. It ends with a burst of extreme violence out of character with the rest of the film, which must have brought audiences to their feet at the time of its release.

This is a pretty decent kidnapping story with a unique, totally unexpected ending. It's also unusual in that almost all of the story takes place AFTER the ransom has been paid and the kidnap victim has been safely returned. It also has a twist of nice couple being inadvertently involved in the crime. The crooks in here are entertaining to watch, particularly the leader "Tobey," played well by Caesar Romero. Some of Romero's sidekicks are stupid but just makes them interesting to watch. One guy, however, is a little bit too nasty. (This gang is not the most brilliant but their stupidity makes the film more fun.)