smatysia This film, which I had never heard of, stars Edward G. Robinson as a crime boss. I suppose that the syndicates of those days were not the ethnic affairs that they became later. Or maybe the filmmakers just skirted around that. He retires, giving control to Humphrey Bogart's character. When he loses all of his money in Europe, he returns to New York assuming that he will re-take command immediately. He is mistaken, and various gangland style events ensue. Ann Sothern plays a classic moll, beautiful, but with a horrible new Jersey accent, and dumber than a box of rocks. This is all in the first act. I had already lost interest before all of the Brother Orchid stuff began. This film is through and through boring. Don't waste your time.

kenjha A wounded gangster escapes execution by a rival gang and finds sanctuary in a monastery, as he convalesces. This routine gangster film veers between serious crime drama and comedy, never really finding a true identity. Robinson, who became a star playing Little Caesar, here plays Little Johnny, a no-nonsense tough guy who finds a higher calling. This is Bogart's last role as a sidey villain, as he played a good guy in his next film, "They Drive by Night," before becoming a star with "High Sierra." Sothern is fine as Robinson's moll. Bellamy, who made a career out of playing "the other man," does so here, amusing as an earnest cowboy who tries to woo Sothern.

MartinHafer This is one of the weirder gangster films of its era, as the last half of the film goes in one of the oddest directions I have ever seen--and I've seen practically every film made by Edward G. Robinson and the rest of the "Warner regulars" who made these type of films.The first half or so is pretty conventional, as Robinson is the head of a mob (no big surprise) and after he retires, he gets the itch to once again return to a life of crime. So far, so good. However, after the hoods he left him in control try to rub him out, he hides out in a monastery! And, he re-names himself "Brother Orchid" and sees these gentle souls as a bunch of chumps! Now that, and the particularly exciting finale all make this a definite departure from the norm. While not 100% successful (it did seem a bit preachy and very tough to believe), I admire the studio for at least trying to take a chance and create something unique. Plus, good acting, a light and fun mood and brisk direction by Lloyd Bacon make this a film well worth seeing.

jebucur I do wish when individuals watch a movie that they get the person who says the lines correct. It is not Donald Crisp that makes the comments about the watermelon to Edward G. Robinson. Donald Crisp as Brother Superior is walking the young boy out of the room after giving him $2.00 for shoes. The other two monks make the comments to Robinson about not liking watermelon and then Robinson says "I get it." Now that that is out of the way, this is an excellent movie with a cast of characters that will later go on to become major stars i.e.-Humphrey Bogar and Ralph Bellamy. There are also plenty of strong character actors in this wonderful movie such as Allen Jenkins and Cecil Kellaway.