This is probably going to be the first instance of me talking about a film that has the exact same title as one I reviewed already. I liked that movie when I watched it, but it's not really as memorable as this due to the lack of Edward G Robinson. However, as you'll soon find out, just because it's memorable doesn't mean it's on par with most other Robinson projects. Here, he plays a man who has a job that really isn't portrayed often in movies whatsoever: fighting oil fires. John Ingram (Robinson) carries out this hazardous work in order to make sure he can have a place to live, along with his wife. The dangerous job pays well, and John eventually has enough money to purchase his own well, hoping to find a large oil reserve. Shortly after, William Ramey (Gene Lockhart) shows up at John's house after undoing the lock by himself. Ramey is someone who used to know John many years ago, and knows an ugly secret that he wants to keep buried. Unbeknownst to most people, John used to be in a chain gang because of his supposed involvement in a robbery. Ramey essentially forces John to give him a good deal or else he will tell the cops about his past. John remains convinced Ramey is all talk and will back off, but Ramey pushes on the deal anyway. John agrees to the deal because he thinks it will make his criminal past disappear, but he's wrong. Soon after, cops come to his house with a warrant, and with astounding speed, he goes from being innocent to incarcerated in a matter of hours. After being imprisoned, John is told by outside sources that not only has Ramey framed him, but he bought John's well too. Meanwhile, John undergoes harsh physical labor reminiscent of what he did years earlier. He eventually manages to escape and elude the police, even though all of them are looking for him. After making it back to his wife's house, John manages to track down Ramey and confronts him near a burning oil well. He starts thrashing and beating him, threatening to burn him alive, but Robinson is mobbed by bystanders. Ramey ends up admitting that he was the one who committed the robbery years ago that John was wrongfully convicted of in the first place, and John's reputation is restored. Now I know what most people will be thinking here, and they're right. This movie is basically a copy of Paul Muni's "I Am a Fugitive From a Chain Gang", since both of them have men being punished over crimes they didn't do. I find it strange Robinson would want to star in something so similar to Muni's film, considering he hated him. The casting is also kind of awkward. I typically say all Robinson movies are worth seeing, but he doesn't really fit the lead role of this film. Taking into account his mild obesity, it was quite ridiculous to see him running through a swamp in order to escape from prison guards (just like Muni) later in the film. Gene Lockhart plays a convincing bad guy, but his smug and in-your-face demeanor really started to get on my nerves. He obviously takes pleasure in sending Robinson to prison for a second time and doesn't care what underhanded tactics he has to use. Overall, this movie is, in my view, a rare mediocrity from Robinson and I expected more from him. Had I not watched Chain Gang last year, I probably would have liked this more, but it will always be a ripoff of that to me.
Review of Blackmail
