Movielogr
Five Star Final (1931)
Directed by Mervyn LeRoy
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Searching for headlines at any cost, an unscrupulous newspaper owner forces his editor to print a serial based on a past murder, tormenting a woman involved.
Rated NR | Length 89 minutes
Actors
Edward G. Robinson | Marian Marsh | H.B. Warner | Anthony Bushell | George E. Stone | Frances Starr | Ona Munson | Boris Karloff | Aline MacMahon | Oscar Apfel | Purnell Pratt | Robert Elliott | Polly Walters | James P. Burtis | Richard Carlyle | Frank Darien | James Donlan | Evelyn Hall | Gladys Lloyd | Arnold Lucy | Franklin Parker | William H. Strauss | David Torrence | Harold Waldridge | Jack Wise
Viewing History (seen 1 time)
| Date Viewed | Device | Format | Source | Rating |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 02/01/2014 | TV | Streaming | Video on Demand | 3.5 stars |
| (Average) 3.5 stars |
Viewing Notes
80-some years later, the issue of sensationalism vs. journalism is still madly relevant. Newspaper editor Edward G. Robinson gives in to circulation pressure from his publisher and agrees to dig up 20-year-old murder case. Robinson is good at it, but he hates himself for it, even more so when it has devastating effects.
Robinson is very, very good, and Boris Karloff is a pleasure to watch as a sly, drunken reporter. Some of the other performances are still too bound to the stage tradition, and the whole thing edges into hysterical melodrama, but Robinson brings it all back; his eyes speak the truth.
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