Corruption (1933)
Article 5774 by Dave Sindelar
Date: 5-22-2020
Directed by Charles E. Roberts
Featuring Evalyn Knapp, Preston Foster, Charles Delaney
Country: USA
What it is: Political crime drama

When a newly-elected crusading anti-corruption mayor turns out to mean what he says, his party tries to frame him and get him out of the way.

I was about two-thirds through with watching this movie when it occurred to me that it might qualify for my review criteria. I finally found it listed in the “Forgotten Horrors” book, where it makes it on the grounds of the existence of a mad scientist in the story. This didn’t occur to me at first. What did catch my attention was a murder method that may fall within the bounds of science fiction; as explaining it might involve giving away spoilers, I will say no more. I will say, however, that those elements are the most interesting thing about the movie, which is otherwise your typical B movie material; it’s passable but uninspired, though it does have a couple of interesting characters. Mischa Auer was the only really familiar name I saw in the cast, and he plays the most memorable character.