StunnaKrypto Self-important, over-dramatic, uninspired.

SpunkySelfTwitter It’s an especially fun movie from a director and cast who are clearly having a good time allowing themselves to let loose.

Lidia Draper Great example of an old-fashioned, pure-at-heart escapist event movie that doesn't pretend to be anything that it's not and has boat loads of fun being its own ludicrous self.

Matylda Swan It is a whirlwind of delight --- attractive actors, stunning couture, spectacular sets and outrageous parties.

mark.waltz Opening on a horrifying bank robbery with clichéd dialog and much more violence than "Scarface", this second feature gets your attention right away and never lets go. The story of the risks taken every day by Hollywood stunt men and their women who worry makes for riveting drama. The superstitions of their craft leads to paranoia and a few tragedies. A fire sequence on a movie set is horrifying. In a way, the film has a serial feeling towards it. Stars Bill Boyd and Dorothy Wilson are fine, but stuttering Roscoe Ates is utterly obnoxious, first seen in blackface for no real reason. Fortunately, he is off screen for the second half of the movie. The film concludes with a fast paced car chase sequence that requires real skill from the film's real stunt men whom the script honors.

Michael_Elliott Lucky Devils (1933) ** 1/2 (out of 4) Last month I watched a short called Thrills for Spills, which focused on stunt players in movies and this film here features one intense stunt, which was featured in that short. This RKO film, based on stories by two real-life stuntmen, stars William Boyd as the leader of a group of stuntmen who always tells his men not to fall in love because this will get them killed in their stunts because their minds will be on their wife and not the job. Boys eventually falls for a woman (Dorothy Wilson) who never makes it in Hollywood and his love for her costs a stunt to go horribly wrong. Soon Boyd is without a job and when his wife needs $100 to get into a hospital he must try one of the most dangerous stunts out there for the money. This film is pretty silly but it moves incredibly well in its short 64-minute running time. Boyd is very energetic in his role and the supporting cast is just as impressive. Bruce Cabot and Lon Chaney, Jr. (still using his real name Creighton) plays two of the stuntmen and it's always nice seeing them in these types of roles. Roscoe Ates, the stutterer in Freaks, has a role here as well, which requires him to be humiliated throughout. The stunt scenes are all very well done and it's nice seeing a movie taking a look at these men who never get enough credit.

MartinHafer The first five minutes of this film will quickly convince you that this is definitely a "Pre-Code" movie--a film so named because it was made just before the Hays Production Code was fully enforced--putting a stop to excessive violence, sexuality and "adult themes". Just a year later, a film as amazingly violent as this one never would have been allowed. That's because this portion of the movie features a bank robbery scene that is at least as violent as the ones in BONNIE AND CLYDE--which was made over three decades later. Blood is flying, customers are being splattered and hundreds of bullets fly. This is not the only extremely violent moment in the film, as later you see a man fall into a burning building and it's very shocking indeed.The film is not really about bank robberies, though, but is about the rough and dangerous world of the movie stuntman. In the 1920s, some Hollywood producers were pretty cavalier about risking the lives of their stunt men, though how unnecessarily lives are tossed away in this film seems silly--but also very entertaining.The main character in this film is William Boyd (later known as "Hopalong Cassidy") and once he marries, his new bride is convinced he'll be killed. Judging by the movie so far, this isn't surprising! I could tell you more about the plot but don't want to ruin it. The film is very exciting to watch and the violence is shocking but also intriguing because it was so extreme. A good film but certainly not an intellectual or deep film.PS--Look carefully at the beginning and you'll see a White guy in black face--something that's shocking when seen today.

jbacks3 This is one of the most energetic of the non-Hoppy entries in Boyd's film resume. Here he's Skipper Clark, the nominal head of a group of Hollywood stunt men called, what else, THE LUCKY DEVILS... a bunch of hard drinking, womanizing guys who are full of superstitions. The #1 rule is a married guy can't be a stunt man, which is proven by the death of one of the newly married guys. Enter a beautiful-yet- despondent Dorothy Wilson, easily the best performer in the movie, who threatens the Devil's dynamic. I don't want to give away the plot, but the real interest is the behind the scenes look at early sound movie making. There's several extensive scenes (including a great opener) involving stunt work... many outdoors (along with some obvious rear projection stuff). Lots of talk about safety but you won't see anyone practicing it. Bruce Cabot's seen here as a stunt man, but it he's wallpaper, seemingly saving his voice for his part in then-in-production KING KONG... Creighton (Lon Jr.) Chaney looks 20 years younger than he would just 8 years later in THE WOLF MAN. Enjoy it and add up the felonies Boyd commits in the last 5 minutes of the movie...