Underworld

"'Nobody helps me -- I help them!'"

1927 1h 27m EN

👍

7.1

SOLID

★7.1TMDB · 96

DramaCrimeRomance

Synopsis

Spoiler shield

Boisterous gangster kingpin Bull Weed rehabilitates his former lawyer from his alcoholic haze, but complications arise when he falls for Weed's girlfriend.

“'Nobody helps me -- I help them!'”

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Where to watch · US

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Cast

George Bancroft
Bull Weed
Evelyn Brent
Feathers
Clive Brook
Rolls Royce
Fred Kohler
Buck Mulligan
Helen Lynch
Mulligan's Girl
Larry Semon
Slippy Lewis
Jerry Mandy
Paloma
Alfred Allen
Judge (uncredited)

Credits

Behind the camera

Director: Josef von Sternberg
Writers: Ben Hecht, Robert N. Lee, Howard Hawks
Languages: No Language
Countries: United States of America

Want more? Switch to Cinephile mode in the header for DP, composer, budget, box office, production companies, keywords, and release history.

Did you know?

Fun facts 🍿

1 / 8

RUNTIME

Did you know

87 minutes exactly — the "classic feature" runtime most directors aim for.

MoodPlayr · trivia#01

2 / 8

ERA

Did you know

99 years old — a genuine piece of film history.

MoodPlayr · trivia#02

3 / 8

RUNTIME

Did you know

Lean credit list — fewer than 30 people officially credited.

MoodPlayr · trivia#03

4 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Directed by Josef von Sternberg, shot by Bert Glennon. Note their partnership — DPs and directors often return to each other across a career.

MoodPlayr · trivia#04

5 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Editor E. Lloyd Sheldon shaped the rhythm. On an edit-heavy film, the editor does more to control your pulse than the director.

MoodPlayr · trivia#05

6 / 8

CAST

Did you know

George Bancroft and Evelyn Brent and Clive Brook carry the top of the cast.

MoodPlayr · trivia#06

7 / 8

FACT

Did you know

Marketing tagline: "'Nobody helps me -- I help them!'".

MoodPlayr · trivia#07

8 / 8

WILD

Did you know

IMDB entry: tt0018526 — still the authoritative cross-reference for credits and trivia.

MoodPlayr · trivia#08

Cinephile deep dive

The take

Josef von Sternberg directs. Bert Glennon behind the camera. E. Lloyd Sheldon cuts. Runs lean at under 100 minutes. Produced in United States of America. Dialogue in No Language.

Trivia

Things worth knowing

187 minutes exactly — the "classic feature" runtime most directors aim for.
299 years old — a genuine piece of film history.
3Lean credit list — fewer than 30 people officially credited.
4Directed by Josef von Sternberg, shot by Bert Glennon. Note their partnership — DPs and directors often return to each other across a career.
5Editor E. Lloyd Sheldon shaped the rhythm. On an edit-heavy film, the editor does more to control your pulse than the director.
6George Bancroft and Evelyn Brent and Clive Brook carry the top of the cast.
7Marketing tagline: "'Nobody helps me -- I help them!'".
8IMDB entry: tt0018526 — still the authoritative cross-reference for credits and trivia.
9Only 96 TMDB ratings — you're getting ahead of the curve on this one.

The technical file

Cinematography: Bert Glennon
Editing: E. Lloyd Sheldon
Runtime: 87 min · 1h 27m
Status: Released
Original language: EN
Certification (US): NR
IMDB: Underworld (1927)

Awards

Academy Award for Best Story

Individual records documented via Wikidata; the summary above may count more.

Also by

Josef von Sternberg

Community reviews

What people are saying

CinemaSerf2022-06-06
★ 7/10
Josef von Sternberg does well here with his adaptation of Ben Hecht's gangster thriller. George Bancroft is "Bull Weed", a rumbustious character, in love with the aptly monikered "Feathers" - because she wears them everywhere - Evelyn Brent. His former attorney, the dapper "Rolls Royce Wensel" (Clive Brook) has problems with the bottle, but "Weed" manages to ween him off - only for the latter to fall in love with his gal. When "Weed" is finally apprehended by the police for murder, and sentenced to swing for it - the others must decide whether to abscond together, or to try to spring him! "Bull", meantime has plans for revenge of his own - and this all builds to an exciting denouement. There's a lot packed into this film. The love-triangle theme gradually underpins the story, but the romance doesn't overwhelm it - it's still a gangster movie with just the tiniest hint of menace from an engaging Bancroft, and quite bit of on-screen chemistry between the three. As you'd expect, the photography is pristine. Though maybe just a few too many static shots for me that slow the pace a bit, the story is well constructed and the last ten minutes are super.

Production companies