Two siblings, separated when their father is killed in a police raid after betrayal by a fellow criminal, grow to adulthood still within the ambit of crookdom, Roy (Raymond Griffith) as part of a “mechanical chess player” con, and Sylvia (Priscilla Dean) as a pickpocket under the tutelage of Hawkes (Wallace Beery), the man who led the cops to their father fifteen years before. The siblings meet and become friends without realizing their relationship. Though Roy recognizes Hawkes, he opts to delay his vengeance, and indeed joins with Sylvia and Hawkes in a criminal scheme in New York, where Hawkes pretends to be an Italian count and the mechanical chess player serves as a device to permit burglarizing the estates of the wealthy; meanwhile, Sylvia finds romance with another member of the upper crust who has a secret of his own. A heist goes wrong, however, and the crooks hide out with their loot, suspicious of each other, in a situation made yet more tense when Sylvia’s boyfriend discovers the trio. There are plenty of drama and a touch of humor through the film, as well as a few surprises before the end.

  Mildly recommended. Otto judiciously thinks this movie is OK, but not great.

Movie 8 for 2022.