Product Details

• Actors: Chester Morris, Harry Stubbs, Mae Busch, Eleanor Griffith, Regis Toomey
• Directors: Roland West
• Writers: Roland West, C. Gardner Sullivan, Elaine S. Carrington, J.C. Nugent, John Griffith Wray
• Producers: Roland West
• Format: Black & White, NTSC
• Rated: NR (Not Rated)
• Number of tapes: 1
• Studio: Kino Video
• VHS Release Date: November 11, 1998
• Run Time: 84 minutes
• Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (10 customer reviews)
• ASIN: 6305189358
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #309,468 in Movies & TV (See Top 100 in Movies & TV)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

11 of 11 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars fine early gangster movie that shows 'em how it's done..., February 15, 2008

By 

Matthew G. Sherwin (last seen screaming at Amazon customer service) - See all my reviews
(TOP 100 REVIEWER)    (HALL OF FAME REVIEWER)    (VINE VOICE)   

This review is from: Alibi (DVD)

Alibi is one of the few early talkies that truly make the grade. There's a good plot that moves along nicely, good choreography and cinematography (for its time) and the convincing acting held my attention every step of the way. This film is an excellent early talkie gangster movie.

The action begins when Chick Williams (Chester Morris) gets released from prison--only to get back again with the members of his mob who rob and run a swanky speakeasy. Soon Chick is dating Joan Manning, (Eleanore Griffith), the daughter of a tough as nails police detective who hates the idea of Chick dating his daughter. When detective Pete Manning (Purnell Pratt) discovers that Chick and Joan have been married Pete tries to separate them to no avail. Joan truly believes that Chick has turned over a new leaf.

One night Joan and Chick go to the theater--and Chick excuses himself during the ten minute intermission while Joan waits back in the theater. Almost at that same time a botched robbery leaves a cop dead--and there are questions to be answered. Who killed that cop? Was Chick involved or was he merely smoking outside the theater during intermission? How can Chick prove he is innocent?

Look for excellent performances from Chester Morris as Chick Williams; he impressed me greatly with his fine acting, especially near the end of the picture. Regis Toomey turns in an equally stunning performance as Danny McGann, a detective who pretends to be a drunk at the speakeasy in order to spy on the mobsters. Mae Busch is also quite good as Daisy Thomas, the girlfriend of the man who runs the speakeasy nightclub.

Unfortunately, other reviewers are right when they state that there's an incredible amount of noise that goes along with the soundtrack. This makes it hard to hear some of the lines--especially in one scene early on when a policeman tries to woo Joan away from Chick. I do applaud the great way they mounted the stationary camera onto the top of a car so that we could see what the cops could see when the cops are going through their paces to see if Chick could have been involved in the botched robbery or even the murder of the cop.

Alibi is an excellent early talkie that is well worth watching. I highly recommend this for fans of early gangster films and people who like classic movies will be impressed with Chester Morris who was nominated for an Oscar for his performance.

7 of 9 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Amazing early talkie., March 20, 1999

By A Customer

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Alibi [VHS] (VHS Tape)

The number of early sound films that can hold interest beyond historical curiosity are few; Roland West is able to do more in the first reel of "Alibi" than even Hitchcock could accomplish in "Blackmail." Menzies' sets give an incredible sense of solitude and menace, and the gradual twists in the plot would not be duplicated until the 1940's. (As a footnote, one of the songs performed in the gangster's speakeasy, "I've Never Seen a Smile Like Yours," served as the inspirational background for experimental animator Oskar Fischinger's film study #5 the following year.) It's truly a shame that West made only one more film, "Corsair" in 1931.

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars A GOOD EARLY GANGSTER FILM, October 22, 2007

By 

Andrew Mangravite - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Alibi (DVD)

Roland West's "Alibi" is a good example of what gangster films were like before Warner Brothers delivered its 1-2 punch of "Little Caesar" and "The Public Enemy." Yes, it's a bit theatrical, the action is patchy and the characters are less than role models of "gritty realism." But that doesn't mean that "Alibi" is a failure. On the contray, it's of interest precisely because it IS so different from what came a few years later and established a template for other gangster films.
The plot and dialogue give initmations of what the "hard-boiled" style would become without quite being there yet.
"Alibi" is worth a look for casual viewers and is a must-have for serious students of the genre. Now, if Paramount would only get around to releasing "City Streets" and "Underworld"....