The World Gone Mad

The District Attonrey has uncovered some wrong doings at a corporation and is about to blow the lid on the lot when he's whacked by a hit-man. His replacement (and friend) takes over, and much to the dismay of the bigwigs at the corporation he's determined to blow the lid on all the shenanigans too. What's an evil, greedy person to do? Well, whack the new DA too, obviously! Problem is, the new DA's friend is a reporter who seems to know everyone in the world, and he's also uncovering more and more evidence.

Although billed as a horror film on Mill Creek's 50 Horror Classics box set, A World Gone Mad is more of a crime thriller (although at one point some characters walk past an ad for the film The Vampire Bat!) with a lot of twists and turns thrown in. It's not majorly exciting, but it's not boring either, with plenty of that fast talking thirties mannerism ("Are you on the level?" ) and such like. It's also strangely relevant today, and just seems to show that nothing ever changes. They even mention pyramid schemes at one point.

It's no forgotten classic, but not as bad as other folks have made out.

A fast paced action drama featuring Pat O'Brian as a hard drinking, woman chasing reporter who is on a first name basis with everyone from the District Attorney to mob chiefs and down to hit men on the street. The story opens with a corporate bigwig contracting with the local mob chief (Louis Calhern) to have the District Attorney killed. The newly appointed District Attorney, who happens to be engaged to one of the corporate bigwigs' daughter, and, is, of course a friend of Pat O'Brian. From here it is a race to expose the wicked corporation, in a sort of 1933 Enron scandal, and to keep the new District Attorney alive.

Remembering that this is a 1933 film, it is years ahead of itself in technology, film noir effects, and settings. Everyone dresses for dinner. Even our fearless reporter has a manservant to whom he gives the night off to allow the plot to thicken unfettered at his Art Deco apartment. One scene has bullet identification, which I thought didn't come into being for another 50 years; however here, performed by our reporter hero, rather than the police.

This dated movie holds up to today's standards, and could have even been a basis for the film Chinatown. The corporate leaders get their rewards, the new District Attorney gets the girl, and Pat O'Brian gets another phone number or two for his private file.

I would rate this movie 5 ½ on a scale of 10.

Not really sure what to say about this one, aside from I didn't like it much. The actors were all fine, there were a few laughs here and there. The ending wasn't too bad, but I suppose after the mess of a plot that came before it, that's not a huge feat. Half the time you have no idea what's going on, and by the time you might have a clue, you don't care anymore. This plods along at a pace most snails would be ashamed of, and I found myself fighting to stay awake the whole time. Don't get me wrong, I don't mind a slow-paced movie, so long as it keeps your attention. This doesn't. Overall, is this a good movie? No, not really. Could it cure insomnia? I wouldn't be surprised.

3.5/10

An obscure dramatic thriller that captures and loses the viewers interest like a seesaw. Pat O'Brien is a hard-nosed reporter who gets a little too close for comfort to the story of a lifetime, a massive corporate scandal. With a District Attorney already killed for knowing too much, O'Brien rightfully fears the new D.A (Neil Hamilton) also has a bullet with his name on it. Can our reporter hero piece it all together for the hapless law enforcement authorities before it's too late?

While there are many moments of interest in "The World Gone Mad," it seems there are almost as many pointless scenes with no purpose other than to ruin the flow. It's also overly complex at times. Still, even if one doesn't cut this one the slack it deserves for being made in 1933, it's not all that awful. The performances are good, particularly from O'Brien and Hamilton. But a little further editing would have helped. By the way, I nominate this one for the "Title That Bears Little Resemblance To The On screen Product" Award.

I got this as part of a collection of horror movies. I can't for the life of me figure out how it even remotely fits in the package. This is a pretty good drama about the results of corruption, much like the Enron scandal, where a group of businessmen steal from the company, and invest in stocks, hoping ot raise even more. It backfires, of course, and a series of people need to be shut up for them to stay anonymous. The first district attorney is killed and then implicated in a scandal. The new, young attorney, swears to get to the bottom of it, putting himself and others in danger. It all plays out quite nicely. It's a nicely done film with pretty strong performances, especially for its time.