Matrixston Wow! Such a good movie.

ThedevilChoose When a movie has you begging for it to end not even half way through it's pure crap. We've all seen this movie and this characters millions of times, nothing new in it. Don't waste your time.

Arianna Moses Let me be very fair here, this is not the best movie in my opinion. But, this movie is fun, it has purpose and is very enjoyable to watch.

Sabah Hensley This is a dark and sometimes deeply uncomfortable drama

JohnHowardReid Copyright 8 June 1940 by Warner Bros Pictures, Inc. New York opening at the Strand: 7 June 1940. U.S. release: 8 June 1940. Australian release: 15 August 1940. 91 minutes. SYNOPSIS: Racket chieftain Little John Sarto, after a trip to Europe in search of "class," returns to find his mob taken over by his former associate, Jack Buck. Sarto organizes a new gang and muscles into his old territory. His girl friend, Flo Addams, attempting to promote peace between the rival factions, inadvertently sends Sarto into a trap. NOTES: In 1940, Edward G. Robinson held 4th place to Errol Flynn, James Cagney and Bette Davis as the most popular Warner Bros stars at foreign ticket-windows. TO SUM UP: Good idea, but disappointing. COMMENT: Tired gangster pic. The familiar ingredients are all here but so familiar and so jaded has the formula become that neither the director nor the scriptwriter can make up his mind whether to play it straight or for laughs. The players were obviously told to play it safe on a sort of middle ground where they are not tongue-in-cheek enough to be funny nor sufficiently straight to be taken too seriously. The only players unaffected by this are Jenkins and Bellamy, both of whom give their usual comic performances (though even Bellamy is more serious than usual). Bogart's role is small and though he is supposed to be the villain of the piece, he doesn't play with all stops out as usual, but gives a rather half-hearted portrayal. The main burden of the film falls on Sothern and Robinson. It is obvious that most of their scenes together should be played for comedy, but they are both so heavy-handed the laughs don't come.Significantly enough, Bacon's direction is only worthy of note in the one sequence that is played perfectly straight - Robinson fleeing from Buck's hired gunmen, the camera tracking with him through the undergrowth until he stumbles across the courtyard of the monastery, the sequence concluding with an elaborate crane shot. Even the climactic fight confrontation, with its comic caretaker ringing the cops, does not seem meant to be taken seriously (why do the cops arrest Bogart and his gang - they weren't the ones who were breaking the law?). Elsewhere the direction is routine.Credits display the usual brand of Warner Bros craftsmanship but production values are moderate.OTHER VIEWS: Ably photographed, but a good cast is wasted on a piece of hokum that steers a disconcertingly uncertain course between straight melodrama and outright burlesque. - JHR writing as George Addison.

Richie-67-485852 Enjoy this movie for two good reasons right off. Edward G. Robinson and Humphrey Bogart. Then, take in the movie as a time capsule enjoying the sights, sounds and slang's of that era. That's what I like about these older movies. You get to see how things were in that generation and in this case that's nearly 80 years ago. The plot is comedy mixed with gangsters and Hollywood never knows how that will be received until after the fact. In this case, the stars and supporting cast pull it through making it a recommendation not to be missed. There are a few scenes that do trigger the emotions and there is nothing you can do about them but to let them have their way. A good movie does this. I like to eat when I watch movies.I recommend a sandwich with a tasty drink followed by some sweet munch for this one...Enjoy Edward G's mannerisms, facial expressions and tones of voice for he had fun doing them. I had fun receiving them....

utgard14 Gangster Little John Sarto (Edward G. Robinson) retires from the racket to "get some class." After that flops he tries to reclaim his old mob, which is now run by Jack Buck (Humphrey Bogart). After nearly being rubbed out and believing his girlfriend (Ann Sothern) set him up, Little John joins a monastery! Entertaining Warner Bros. gangster comedy is helped by fun dialogue and solid cast. Robinson, Bogart, and Sothern are all great. Support from the likes of Ralph Bellamy, Allen Jenkins, Cecil Kellaway, and Donald Crisp. Doesn't launch into the monastery part of the film until about halfway through. It's a fairly routine gangster story for the first half. Although with this cast, fairly routine is still pretty enjoyable to watch.

classicsoncall Defying classification, "Brother Orchid" contains elements of film noir, gangster movies, and comedy, and showcases Edward G. Robinson as a mobster who quits the rackets because his tastes have outgrown them. It's a premise that walks a tightrope throughout the picture, and has Little John Sarto (Robinson) alternately swaying between his gangster life and a dreamy vision that may or may not be fulfilled.Although an entertaining enough film, I had difficulty in accepting Sarto's all or nothing approach to each of his mid stream course corrections. At the outset, when turning over the gang to his second in command Jack Buck (Humphrey Bogart), Sarto convincingly claims it's for good. But to leave his girlfriend Flo Addams (Ann Sothern) behind as he squanders his fortune in the capitals of Europe seems a bit overboard; for Flo to keep the romance alive even as she rises from hat check girl to owning the Crescent Club is even more of a stretch. Especially when a reasonably handsome and urbane suitor like Clarence Fletcher (Ralph Bellamy) comes along. Fletcher is charming without being pushy and seems more than a romantic match for Flo, considering her treatment by the almost repulsive behavior of Johnny.What does bring life to the film is the snappy, staccato one liners delivered by Sarto, often so glib that this viewer caught the full nuance well into the next scene. Then you have the colorful names of Sarto's cohorts - Mugsy, Philadelphia, Crack and Willie the Knife. Willie in particular is well portrayed by essential character actor Allen Jenkins, one of the few mugs who stayed loyal to Little John, even as he faked his way into a mental asylum during Johnny's hiatus.When it appears that Flo sets up Johnny to be ambushed by Jack Buck, Johnny makes his getaway to a reclusive Floracian Monastery, where the brothers of the order make their living growing and selling flowers to help beautify the world. Brother Superior is portrayed by affable Donald Crisp in a calm and self assured manner. Entranced by the serene way of life of the brothers, Johnny makes it his own, and takes for his name a personal preference - Brother Orchid. When the brothers' way of life is threatened by their inability to pay tribute to Buck's protective association, Little John is back to his gangster ways to set things right, but this time forming a gang of Clarence Fletcher's Western buddies who have hit town to attend Fletcher's marriage to Flo!Robinson and Bogart made a total of five films together, with Robinson getting top billing in all but 1948's "Key Largo". The others include "Bullets or Ballots" (1936), "Kid Galahad" (1937), and "The Amazing Dr. Clitterhouse" (1938). "Brother Orchid" was the only film in which Ann Sothern appeared with either Bogey or Robinson. For fans of any of these stars, or of classic films of the 1930's and 40's, all of the films mentioned are recommended.