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Though it might mean absolutely nothing to today's audience when you see the small mustached frame of Walter Abel who has been named a Special Prosecutor back in 1938 there was no doubt that Abel was a very thinly disguised portrayal of real life Special Prosecutor and newly elected District Attorney of New York County, Thomas E. Dewey.

Among the many rackets that Dewey did investigate and prosecute was an effort to organize truckers and get a stranglehold on the produce markets of New York City. This film is taken from some very true and recent headlines back in the day.

Warner Brothers loved Mr. Dewey and his prosecutorial exploits. A few years earlier Humphrey Bogart, the chief villain in this film, played a Dewey like prosecutor himself in Marked Woman which is based in part on how Dewey convicted Lucky Luciano via his stranglehold on houses of prostitution.

The hero in Racketbusters is George Brent, stepping into a role that James Cagney probably turned down. He's a truckdriver who resists organization either by an honest union or the racketeers. And he's got ideas from the street about the social standing of stool pigeons.

When things happen to his wife Gloria Dickson and his friend Oscar O'Shea, Brent himself becomes as big a racketbuster as Walter Abel.

Allen Jenkins is a surprise here. Usually a mug whether a good guy or a bad guy, Jenkins steps up to the plate here as a man who went from the truckdriving game to the produce business. He understands the point of view of both sides and urges them to settle and kick out Bogart and his henchmen. Good job by Jenkins.

No doubt in 1938 who this film was all about.

Most gangster movies I've seen focus on the bad guy (Cagney/Robinson) or perhaps on the cop or D.A. trying to bust the gangs.

This movie, however, focuses on the people who are affected by the racketeers: the truckers who were forced into a crooked association run by Bogart. We see how the truckers, their families and businesses, are hurt by the protection rackets and bullying gangsters (who always wear nice hats and suits).

The producers are careful not to make this an anti-union movie, even though the plot is about gang incursions into unions. It's really a propaganda film, trying to convince union members and other working men to stand up and testify against gang pressures. The acting is OK, and there's plenty of action (explosions, car wrecks, fist fights) to keep you interested.

My favorite scenes involve gangsters using axes and creosote to destroy big crates of vegetables. Not quite your standard gangster fare!

George Brent was great at playing the gentleman, whether that gentleman was a wealthy man of great stature in the community, or whether he was a struggling up-and-comer as he was in "Lilly Turner". He always played a guy who knew who he was and the path he was on. This story of the syndicate attempting to take over the trucking industry by force is sunk not only by a rather formulaic script, but by Brent in the lead in a role that looks like it was written more for James Cagney or maybe even Paul Muni.

Brent plays Denny Jordan, an independent trucker who is out for himself, thinks with his fists, and even squishes a tomato into the face of his partner, Skeets (Allen Jenkins), for no particular reason other than he seems to think it's funny. This is just not appealing stuff for George Brent fans to watch. Humphrey Bogart is perfectly cast as the head of the syndicate, but he spends very little time on screen, usually just a few seconds at a time as he barks orders at subordinates about the next move they should make.

It's pretty bad when the thinking man in the film, Skeets, is portrayed by Allen Jenkins, who usually plays the well-meaning if somewhat thick-skulled comic relief. Penny Singleton is a breath of fresh air as Gladys Christie, Skeet's girl who seems surprised every time her man gets a good idea or runs into a piece of good luck.

I'd skip this one. It's not terrible, it just does nothing to distinguish itself in either the plot or performance categories.

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.