Let 'em Have It

1935 "...the embattled cry of aroused youth in America's "silent war"!"
Let 'em Have It
6.6| 1h36m| en| More Info
Released: 15 May 1935 Released
Producted By: Edward Small Productions
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Budget: 0
Revenue: 0
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Synopsis

Let 'Em Have It is a 1935 gangster film. It was also known as The Legion of Valour and False Faces. An FBI agent tracks down a gang leader.

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Edward Small Productions

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MartinHafer The film begins with a class of rookie FBI* agents going through their boot camp. Soon, three of the guys become friends and are soon assigned to work together (how likely is this?). They're investigating a man the agency thinks is part of an organized crime ring, Joe Keefer (Bruce Cabot) and they soon end up arresting him. What's next? See the film for yourself."Let 'em Have It" is a decent film but it suffers from a big problem. During the course of the movie, Agent Mal Stevens (Richard Arlen) falls in love with Eleanor Spencer (Virginia Bruce) and you have little reason to understand WHY. Sure, she's beautiful but she's also spoiled, obnoxious and sees very little value in the work these federal agents do. She even begs Mal to talk her brother** out of joining the force. Plus, when they catch her chauffeur with a stolen gun and tell her he's part of a gang, she fights them and convinces the parole board to release him (and he then goes on a reign of terror!). So, why would a dedicated agent want anything to do with her? And, why would a writer construct such a ridiculous relationship?! Sloppy, sloppy, sloppy! Without a few of these bad scenes, the film could have earned a 7 or 8.On the positive side, it was a neat movie because of its very, very extensive use of forensics to solve crime. Using a some footprints, an apple and a glove, the experts are able to come up with a great idea of what a suspect looks like--and it's believable. Most old crime films rarely talk about such things and it's nice to see that "CSI", "Bones", "NCIS" and many other new shows are NOT the first to look at this side of an investigation--and that the techniques are NOT all brand-new and high tech. It was also nice to have some very competent actors--better than you might expect from a B-movie. Simply put, apart from the dumb and poorly written relationship between Arlen and Bruce, it was a pretty good film.By the way, I noticed a couple reviewers seemed to think this film was better than the Jimmy Cagney film "G-Men"--also from 1935 and with similar subject matter. I simply didn't see this. While "Let 'em Have It" is awfully good for a small budgeted film from a tiny studio, it's not even close to the quality and entertainment level of "G-Men"...not even close.*Oddly, I don't think they used the terms FBI or Federal Bureau of Investigation once during the film.**It's funny, but when this scene occurred where Eleanor begs Mal to dissuade her brother from joining the force, I turned to my wife and said 'the brother will soon be dead!'--and, not surprisingly, he was! What a silly and poorly telegraphed plot element--and another bit of lousy writing. To make it worse, the young man is told NOT to go near the gangsters' hideout but does anyway--getting himself killed in the process! Duh...
madmonkmcghee You'd almost think J. Edgar Hoover himself directed this propaganda movie for his newly-formed FBI. In fact it was self-appointed Redbaiter Sam Wood, whose social and political views were almost identical to those of the FBI chieftain. And boy it shows. Wood's view of society is pretty clear-cut: you have decent, morally upstanding folk and hardened, unrepentant nogoodniks. That Bruce Cabot's character belongs to the latter category becomes clear when he tells his parents that his social aspirations aim higher than lifelong service as the family chauffeur. Of course social mobility is always suspect, people should know and keep their place in society and be content with it. Not only that, but as Richard Arlen's G-man states, Cabot also looks like a criminal! That's proof enough for our FBI boys to suspect him of kidnapping plans, and of course they're proved right. In fact, in the entire movie they're always on the right track, there's no point in trying to outsmart these guys. Why do those villains even bother? Well, because they're not just dumb, but downright evil, so the only cure is to let 'em have it. Depending on one's political views, you can either applaud or reject this movie,but i'm sure there are plenty of people who can enjoy this as an old-time gangster drama. I sure couldn't.
kidboots For an independent production (Reliance), this was a superior, hard hitting gangster movie that followed hard on the heels of Warner Bros. "G Men". I first saw it on television in the 60s and I will never forget the shocking sequence when Bruce Cabot agrees to have plastic surgery with disastrous results. The scene were Cabot takes his bandages off - you don't see his face but you see the faces of his gang members as they recoil in horror - it is a truly frightening scene. The movie, directed with flair by the under rated Sam Wood, was highly effective at pitting the FBI investigating methods against the more exciting underworld adventures of Joe Keefer (Bruce Cabot) and his gang.After quite an interesting beginning showing the recruitment of ordinary men into the FBI to cope with the growing spread of lawlessness across America - the movie focuses on three men from different walks of life who become friends. The three are advised of a kidnap plan involving socialite Eleanor Spencer (luminous Virginia Bruce), an old girlfriend of Van's (Harvey Stephens). When the plot is foiled and the gang, including the Spencer chauffeur, Joe Keefer, goes to jail, Eleanor pleads for Joe's release, feeling he had nothing to do with it. After he is freed, he then rounds up his gang and goes on a reign of terror throughout the Mid West. Meanwhile Eleanor's younger brother Buddy (Eric Linden) ditches his law studies to become a G man. Eleanor is horrified and blames Mal (dashing Richard Arlen) (she has become romantically involved with him) for not trying hard enough to talk him out of it. The plot is very involving and meticulous, especially Buddy's hunt to find the person who owned the shoe that was left at the scene of one of the holdups. From the very start the action never stops, it seems so realistic - you feel this was how gangsters really operated then. I don't know whether there was any location shooting but the scene where the gangsters were rounded up from their hideout in the woods looked pretty real.Bruce Cabot played Keefer with an almost psychotic zeal. He seemed to play a lot of movie heels and it was nice to see him get his comeuppance in this movie after being so horrible to Irene Dunne (in "Ann Vickers") and Helen Twelvetrees (in "Disgraced"). Eric Linden's film career had started with so much promise ("Are These Our Children" (1931)) but by 1933 he was completely fed up with Hollywood and announced his retirement. After a year spent traveling and writing he returned to the screen in "Let 'Em Have It", playing his stock in trade - an idealistic young man who wants to make good.Highly, Highly Recommended.
dlatkong33 "Let 'em have It' was released in 1935, the same year as "G Men" starring James Cagney. Both films celebrate the exploits of law men working for the newly formed FBI under J. Edgar Hoover. Our heroes are played by Richard Arlen, Harvey Stephens, and Gordon Jones, with Virginia Bruce in the female lead. The early part is typical of the time, showing the FBI recruits undergoing training in detection methods, shooting skills, etc. The movie gains momentum when they go after vicious gang leader Joe Keefer, very menacingly played by Bruce Cabot. Keefer is on the lam and forces a doctor to change his face by plastic surgery. When the bandages come off - wow! It's worth the price of admission.