The Beast of the City (1932) on Netflix
Police captain Jim Fitzpatrick has been demoted for political reasons. Public anger over gang boss Sam Belmonte makes him police chief; his detective brother Ed is drawn to Daisy.
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- Netflix3.3/5
- IMDb6.7/101,700 votes
- Rotten Tomatoes66%
Plot summary
Jim Fitzpatrick is a police captain, a family man, and a crime fighter who is willing to meet violence with violence. Demoted for political reasons, he is restored to favor when public anger pushes the mayor to crack down on gang boss Sam Belmonte, and he becomes chief of police. His younger brother Ed is a police detective who wants a promotion that Jim, a man of principle, refuses to hand him. Ed has also become involved with Daisy Stevens, a moll in Belmonte's circle who also goes by the name Mildred Beaumont. Keeping company with her costs money, and Ed does not have it.
Cast
Did you know?!Facts and trivia about The Beast of the City (1932)
Can contain spoilers, watch the movie first.
- The Beast of the City grew out of consultations between MGM head of production Louis B. Mayer and President Herbert Hoover, who was concerned that the public needed to have greater respect for police officers and other law-enforcement officials.
- After the film was finished, MGM's Louis B. Mayer judged it too violent for the studio's image as the home of family entertainment and ordered it shown as the bottom feature on double bills.
- Screenwriter W.R. Burnett recalled that Charles Brabin, the Englishman hired to direct the American hoodlum picture, would go to sleep during story conferences.
- Jean Harlow used The Beast of the City to show MGM that she would cooperate with the studio, and she was rewarded with better roles that shortly led to her stardom.
- Mickey Rooney appeared uncredited as the son of Captain Jim Fitzpatrick, Walter Huston's character, and it was his first feature at MGM.
