utgard14 Review of Brother Orchid

Brother Orchid (1940)

It's Impossible For Edward G. Robinson to Make a Bad Gangster Movie

[7/10 · 23 December 2013]

Gangster Little John Sarto (Edward G. Robinson) retires from the racket to "get some class." After that flops he tries to reclaim his old mob, which is now run by Jack Buck (Humphrey Bogart). After nearly being rubbed out and believing his girlfriend (Ann Sothern) set him up, Little John joins a monastery! Entertaining Warner Bros. gangster comedy is helped by fun dialogue and solid cast. Robinson, Bogart, and Sothern are all great. Support from the likes of Ralph Bellamy, Allen Jenkins, Cecil Kellaway, and Donald Crisp. Doesn't launch into the monastery part of the film until about halfway through. It's a fairly routine gangster story for the first half. Although with this cast, fairly routine is still pretty enjoyable to watch.