The Great McGinty

Directed by Preston Sturges, The Great McGinty follows a homeless man (Brian Donlevy’s Daniel McGinty) as he agrees to become the political stooge of a local gangster (Akim Tamiroff) – with the illicit partnership eventually threatened by Daniel’s growing social consciousness. It’s compelling subject matter that is, at the outset, employed to less-than-enthralling effect by Sturges, as the filmmaker, armed with his own screenplay, delivers a slow-moving first half that contains little in the way of attention-grabbing attributes and elements – with the arms-length atmosphere perpetuated by an initially-off-putting central character with few redeeming qualities (ie he’s just unpleasant, mostly). There’s little doubt, then, that The Great McGinty slowly-but-surely begins to improve as it progresses into an increasingly (and unexpectedly) engrossing midsection and final third, with the growing emphasis on Daniel’s charming relationship with Muriel Angelus’ Catherine, coupled with his eventual decision to break away from his corrupt overseer, paving the way for a climactic stretch that packs a far more enthralling punch than one might’ve anticipated – with the end result a hit-and-miss drama that feels like it could (and should) be better.

**1/2 out of ****