The Racket (1928) on Netflix
In Prohibition-era Chicago, police captain James McQuigg works to keep the peace while gang wars and corruption undercut him. Mob boss Nick Scarsi has a contact in the mayor's office.
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- Netflix4.1/5
- IMDb6.5/101,918 votes
- Rotten Tomatoes100%
Plot summary
Gang wars divide Prohibition-era Chicago, and Police Captain James McQuigg is the officer tasked with stopping them. Corruption in the department and in city hall works against him. A shootout between two rival gangs gives him a chance to act, and he arrests Scarsi's henchman Chick. Scarsi makes one call to the mayor's office, and by the end of that day Chick is free and the charges against him are gone. McQuigg then arrests Nick Scarsi after Joe Scarsi's birthday celebration is ambushed, and has to release him when the weapon cannot be found. Scarsi's connections get McQuigg transferred to the 28th precinct, away from the city.
Cast
Did you know?!Facts and trivia about The Racket (1928)
Can contain spoilers, watch the movie first.
- Nick Scarsi, the gangster villain of the film, was modeled after Al Capone, and the corrupt political boss known only as "The Old Man" was modeled after Chicago Mayor William Hale "Big Bill" Thompson.
- Both the film and the play it was adapted from were banned in Chicago at the time because of their portrayal of a corrupt police force and city government.
- Only one copy of the film was known to exist, and for years it was thought lost until that print turned up in producer Howard Hughes' own film collection after his death.
