The early 1930s up to July of 1934 was an interesting time in Hollywood. In this so-called 'Pre-Code' period, the Production Code governing what content was and wasn't allowed in films was generally ignored. Sure, there was a Code, but it meant almost nothing to the studios. If you see many of these films today, you might be shocked to see content they never would have allowed up until the 1960s or later. Homosexuality, adultery, fornication, abortion, extreme violence and occasional nudity were what you might see in a Pre-Code film....though of course not all Pre-Code films were so salacious.
When it comes to "Guilty as Hell", you have a great example of a movie that clearly belongs to the Pre-Code. After all, you could rarely ever curse in films after mid-1934 and only then if you received special dispensation, such as with Rhett Butler's famous last line in "Gone With the Wind".
The story starts with a graphic strangling..seen in the glasses of the murderer. When the police and medical examiners arrive, so does a snappy-talking reporter, Russell Kirk (Edmund Lowe). His bloodhound instincts brought him here and it soon becomes apparent that he's a bit of a jerk with a sick sense of humor. Soon it becomes apparent that this is a film like so many during the 1930s and 40s, where a non-professional ends up working on the case and makes the cops look like idiots. These idiots manage to catch the wrong man who ends up getting convicted for the killing...and it's up to Kirk to make things right and catch the real killer.
This role is a bit unusual for Lowe, as he generally played sophisticated, well-dressed guys. Here, he is dressed in a crummy wrinkled suit with a battered hat! And, he seems about as cultured as moldy cheese! The film also suffers a tad because the identity of the real murderer seems a bit obvious. But the film still is quite good...enjoyable albeit familiar.
