Guerre au crime

Original title: Bullets or Ballots

IMDb RATING

7.0/10

3.6K

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Trailer for this black and white gumshoe classic

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74 Photos

Film Noir Crime Drama Thriller

When a crusader against rackets is murdered, a grand jury battles the rackets by promoting McLaren to be in charge of the cleanup. He fires NYPD Detective Blake, who punches him and joins th... Read allWhen a crusader against rackets is murdered, a grand jury battles the rackets by promoting McLaren to be in charge of the cleanup. He fires NYPD Detective Blake, who punches him and joins the racket.When a crusader against rackets is murdered, a grand jury battles the rackets by promoting McLaren to be in charge of the cleanup. He fires NYPD Detective Blake, who punches him and joins the racket.

See production info at IMDbPro

IMDb RATING

7.0/10

3.6K

YOUR RATING

See production info at IMDbPro

Videos1

Trailer 3:00

Bullets or Ballots

Photos74

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Storyline

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Trivia
Johnny Blake, played by Edward G. Robinson, was based on real-life New York City policeman Johnny Broderick (c.1896-1966) aka "The Duke" or "the toughest cop on Broadway", while Al Kruger, played by Barton MacLane, was based on notorious gangster Dutch Schultz.

Goofs
When Fenner and Kruger are in the theatre watching Ward Bryant's newsreel re-creation of mobsters collecting money from the nickel game machines, there are school children playing the machines. Later on in the real-world, when the police raid Schultz Drug Store and confiscate the nickel game machines, school children are also shown playing the machines. But the school children in the real world are the same ones used in the re-creation including wearing the same clothes.

Quotes
Lee Morgan: Well, it's time you got wise to yourself. Around this town the only reason friends pat you on the back is to find an easy place to break it!
Johnny Blake: Yeah. You're a friend, aren't you?
Lee Morgan: Well, I guess you're dumb enough to think so.

Connections
Featured in Breakdowns of 1936 (1936)

Soundtracks
The Lady in Red
(1935) (uncredited)
Music by Allie Wrubel
Whistled by Edward G. Robinson

User reviews44

Featured review

7/10

Beating Those Criminals to a Pulp

Edward G. Robinson stars in yet another classic gangster film from the folks who did them best at Warner Brothers. This time his character of John Blake is based on real life NYPD detective John Broderick.

Back in the day you would not have given much chance for Broderick to grow old and die in bed. Yet in 1966 that's what he did do. Back in the day too many of New York's noted underworld figures felt his knuckles in various parts of the anatomy.

Broderick was independent, fearless, and honest, the last being a rather rare commodity in the days of and just after Prohibition. Good thing he retired before the Miranda decision. He didn't think that hoodlums had any civil rights.

Because Broderick was so open and known to all undercover work was impossible. But in Bullets or Ballots Robinson is kicked off the force for excessive brutality and joins the hoods he's been beating on.

But it's all an act. It's a deal worked out by Broderick and the Police Commissioner so he can go undercover and get the goods on the numbers racket. The ostensible heads, Barton MacLane and Humphrey Bogart and the respectable types they're fronting for.

Though the ending is melodramatic, Bullets or Ballots holds up pretty well today. And who knows, Broderick's real life might yet rate a good biographical picture today.