Main Cast: Edward G. Robinson, Barton MacLane, Frank McHugh, Joseph King, Humphrey Bogart, Joan Blondell
Release Year: 1936
Country: US
Run Time: 82 minutes
Plot
Two-fisted New York police detective Edward G. Robinson is so volatile that he manages to get himself thrown off the force in disgrace. The local gangsters are delighted, in that Robinson had been breathing down their necks. When Robinson goes to crime boss Barton MacLaine insisting that he's through with law enforcement and wants to switch to the other side, MacLaine's chief henchmen Humphrey Bogart doesn't buy the story, but has to go along since he doesn't want to incur the wrath of MacLaine. Robinson offers to show his former enemies how to circumvent the law, making him an invaluable participant in gang activities. Actually, Robinson hasn't gone crooked at all; he's operating undercover, with the full knowledge of the city police inspector, in hopes of locating the "big boys" who've been financing the mob. His diligence costs him his life, but Robinson, with the help of bad-girl-gone-good Joan Blondell, busts the rackets wide open. Former crime reporter Martin Mooney was responsible for the story upon which Bullets or Ballots was based. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
Review
A good little "crime does not pay" thriller, Bullets or Ballots is noteworthy for the first pairing of Edward G. Robinson and Humphrey Bogart. It's a humdinger of a flick, with one of those twisty-turny plots that's a bit outlandish but a lot of fun. Indeed, if you think too hard about the set-up, you can find plenty of holes in it. But director William Keighley has absolutely no intention of letting your thoughts wander that close to the credibility area. Keighley is no visionary, no font of inspiration; but he's a director who knows how to tell a story, how to land a dramatic moment, how to set up a laugh. If he's focused more on craft than on art, he still knows how to deliver the goods and does so here. Seton Miller and Martin E. Mooney's screenplay has punch and plenty of that tough guy banter than fans long for; they also provide a newreel opening that gets things in gear in an effective way. And, of course, there's Robinson and Bogart. "Bogey" is still a relative kid, not a star yet, and so his part is distinctly the inferior; as a matter of fact, crime boss Barton MacLane's part is larger. But Bogart, though a bit raw, already has that cold intensity that would serve him so well in later roles. Robinson clearly is having a blast in his role, latching onto every moment presented to him and giving it his all. And MacLane makes a wonderful underworld figure, making it clear that he knows he operates in a kill-or-be-killed world and accepts it for what it is. ~ Craig Butler, All Movie Guide
Carl Jules Weyl - Art Director, Chuck Hansen - First Assistant Director, William Keighley - Director, Jack Killifer - Editor, Heinz Roemheld - Composer (Music Score), Hal Mohr - Cinematographer, Louis Edelman - Producer, Warren Lynch - Special Effects, Fred Jackman, Sr. - Special Effects, Oliver S. Garretson - Sound/Sound Designer, Martin E. Mooney - Screen Story, Seton Miller - Screenwriter
Bullets or Ballots was adapted as a one-hour radio play on the April 17, 1939 broadcast of Lux Radio Theater with Edward G. Robinson, Mary Astor and Humphrey Bogart.
