The Racket (1928)

Directed by Lewis Milestone. Starring Thomas Meighan, Louis Wolhelm, Marie Prevost, Henry Sedley, George E. Stone, G. Pat Collins, Sam De Grasse.

Silent gangster picture is a pretty standard crime yarn, depicting the uneasy friendship between a Chicago cop (upright and wooden Meighan) and a bootlegger boss (squashed-faced Wolhelm). No surprises or standout performances, but a few amusing and arresting bits lift it out of the passable tedium from time to time, some of which lay the tracks for the superior 1930s Warner Bros. gangster melodramas to follow. Dated slang results in one unintentional laugh when a scowling copper mentions how crooks “banged” his old man. Produced by Howard Hughes, this Best Picture nominee from the inaugural ceremony was believed lost for many years before a surviving print was found in his collection. Remade with sound in 1951.

65/100