Vítimas do Terror

Bacon shows 1938 truck interiors, trucks crashing, hospital wards, crowds, produce markets and authentic Depression shock. Bogart is permitted a few scenes with his charisma on full throttle. Allen Jenkins takes over the star role in some scenes to great effect. This is not escapist entertainment. Brent is reduced to a miscast actor surviving his role and the war with domestic terrorism, a theme that remains relevant today. This is more of a newsreel of events than a deep exposition of character. The Warners' dramatization of the fight against organized crime presaged the mobilization against fascism in 1942.

Tough gangster movie with Humphrey Bogart playing a racketeer putting the squeeze on truck drivers hauling produce. The unlikeliest of all truckers, George Brent, tries to fight the mob but eventually is forced to cooperate. Brent is an ill-fit for a working class Joe but he does an admirable job. Allen Jenkins is fun as Brent's friend Skeets. Walter Abel is OK as a crusading DA, inspired by Thomas Dewey, but doesn't seem like a match for Bogie. Between him and Brent, neither really powerhouse personas, it's no wonder Bogie walks away with the film. From the very first scene Bogart's character is fed up with failure and wants to make it to the top by any means necessary. It's like they took all the gangsters he's played up to this point and rolled them into one, giving them a final chance to make it big. And no matter how bad he was to others in this, I was pulling for him. The rest of the fine cast includes Gloria Dickson, Penny Singleton, Henry O'Neill, Fay Helm, and Joe Downing. Nice action and characters. If, like me, you're a sucker for seeing old cars and trucks in action in older films, you'll get your fill here. Definitely worth a look for fans of the WB crime dramas of the 1930s.

A Manhattan racketeer moves in on the trucking business but one trucker stands up against the mob until he is forced into cooperating. A crusading District Attorney is determined to stop the racket but he needs the help of the trucker.

Lesser known gangster film which is watchable but not one of the decade's best. George Brent is the trucker and Walter Abel the District Attorney. Although Humphrey Bogart is top of the bill, his appearances are sporadic and his talent is wasted.

If you want to see this movie because Humphrey Bogart is the star, save your time. He gets top billing because of what he became after this movie. In this movie he is in it enough to barely be called a supporting actor. George Brent is the real star, so all Brent fans should watch this (if there are any). Here we have an oddity - our hero prevents the mob from taking over the trucking industry! Of course we know what really happened. Atypical gangster ending for this movie; the length of the jail sentence is also stated! The ending came so quickly that one thinks that is was hastily cobbled together. One positive note is that Allen Jenkins actually plays a good guy for a change.

'Racket Buster" plays like a Public Service announcement, or like a "Crime Does Not Pay" short which were popular in the 30's and 40's. Not much time wasted, as the film gets right to the point; racketeering throughout the city which the DA (Walter Abel) tries hard to stop. The head of the rackets is Humphrey Bogart and the hero is George Brent along with his pal, Allen Jenkins.

There is no time for subtlety or nuance here (at 71 mins.) and the characters are painted with broad strokes and many plot points are telegraphed. Nevertheless, the picture is well done all around and is better and more entertaining than the websites rating would suggest. Probably a 'B' picture in its' time but plays almost like an 'A'.

7/10 - Website no longer prints my star rating.