Au service de la loi

Larger than life Wallace Beery is Sergeant Madden, the cop on the beat, who can solve any problem. About twenty minutes in, we jump ahead to when his son Dennis is applying to the police academy, and must learn some hard lessons. Alan Curtis plays "Dennis", and died young at 43, after surgery. Interesting note... Don Haines plays Milton; Haines enlisted early in the war, and died fighting in Africa at the young age of 23. Also look for David Gorcey (Punchy).. younger brother of the better known Leo Gorcey from the "Bowery Boys" films. In the story, Dennis is stubborn, and can't seem to get along with anyone, including members of his own family. Dennis is sweet on Eileen (Laraine Day) , the girl that the family had taken in as a baby. This was one of Day's early roles, and was only 18. Dennis gets into all kinds of trouble, and Dad (Beery) tries to get him out of it, if he can. Pretty good story. Very typical in the days of the mob and a mix of good cops and bad cops. Only 90 votes as of today. Must not be shown on Turner Classics very often. It's pretty good; hope they show it more frequently. Directed by Josef von Sternberg, who had been nominated for Oscars in 1931 1nd 1932.

Wallace Beery's excellent portrayal of a stereotypical Irish-American police officer who is content with his lot as a precinct sergeant. Beery's character totally believes in the police force and the law. Beery is confronted by a rebellious son (Alan Curtis) who is urged into the force to everyone's regret. The son is overtly ambitious and wants more than his father accepted in life. Curtis's character gets sidetracked when he kills a young robbery suspect and in turn is framed and convicted of phony bribery rap. The son goes over the edge and kills a policeman and turns to a life of crime. Wallace's character is forced into the moral dilemma of family or duty. Marc Lawrence is equally good as the underworld hood. Directed by Josef von Sternberg. Good discussion on what is the proper role of the policeman: a humanitarian or a bully. Strongly recommended.

I don't think that's a true crime film, but certainly a dark drama for sure. Wallace Berry gives one more terrific performance, moving, where the audience, at least me, feels very close to him, feels empathy towards him. The father son relationship is pretty well evoked in an unusual way, at least in the situation where both belong to the force. I don't remember such a scheme, nor this Josef Von Sternberg's film and it was very refreshing to watch it again. The actor playing the young cop is excellent, nearly stealing the film from Berry. A good film, good father son relation study. It deserves to be discovered again. The last minute is totally lousy, worthless, smashing the previous drama part.... Such a shame.

"Sergeant Madden" is a remarkable movie on many levels. First, it's an excellent Irish-American melodrama -- and unashamedly so. You don't like melodrama, don't watch this movie. You like strong emotions and interpersonal conflicts, extravagant actions and feelings, people and situations that push it just that little bit too far -- watch it. Second, Berry does what he always does perfectly - - the tough old guy with a heart of gold, with an edge of the maniac in the glint of his eye. The other actors are equally strong, play each part to the melodramatic, Irish-American hilt; family, loyalty, work, love, comradeship, the whole wonderful and emotional lot. Third, the crowing touch is the blend of direction and scenery & settings, the rich tapestry of indoors and outdoors urban backdrop of late 1930s USA. Josef von Sternberg, as usual, saw and found God in the details. (Inspect the living room or the boarding house!) Watch it. Enjoy. They don't make'em like this anymore. Except as a parody. Which this is not. Here's the real thing.

Wallace Beery pulls out all the stops in scene stealing and as an extra has a touch of the brogue in his speech as Sergeant Madden of the NYPD. Of course when we first meet Beery he's merely Patrolman Madden who finds a baby girl on his doorstep and brings him home to wife Fay Holden. Beery and Holden already have a boy of their own and a neighbor's kid who hangs around so much he's like one of the family.

The kids grow up to be Laraine Day, Alan Curtis, and Tom Brown respectively. Curtis is a newly minted patrolman himself fresh from the Academy and burning with ambition and now married to Day although Brown has a thing for her.

He shoots a young punk David Gorcey caught in the act of a robbery although he could have with some effort taken him alive. That whole incident shows how times have changed, today Curtis would be suspended, maybe kicked off the force for shooting an unarmed suspect. As it is he gets a leery well done, but earns the ire of local hood Marc Lawrence whose girl friend Marion Martin was Gorcey's sister.

Lawrence arranges a nice little jackpot for Curtis and I won't say any more because the plot of Sergeant Madden gets more maudlin and unbelievable as it continues.

Although the private Wallace Beery was hardly matching the lovable oafish type Beery portrayed in sound films even as a villain, Sergeant Madden is the kind of film that Beery was asked to carry strictly on the strength of that appeal. Beery carries Sergeant Madden to an average rating for me, strictly on that appeal.