This is a pretty weird early D.W. Griffith feature. On the video version, it even has a bizarre (and seemingly anachronistic) soundtrack. The story does have some real suspense, but the whole thing is implausible, and some of it just doesn't make sense.
This is one of a number of features from around the same time in Griffith's career, in which he seemingly became pre-occupied with criminals who concoct weird ways of inflicting harm upon their victims. They are usually pretty odd, but they are at least interesting. This one concerns an angry tramp who decides to hurt a family who refuse to give him a handout.
The tramp character gesticulates wildly when no one else is around, so as to convince the audience of his ill intentions. Then he gives a demonstration of his plan, with the same panache that Batman's enemies used to display when showing off their latest unnecessarily complex way of eliminating their foe. While there is some real suspense that follows, the goofier aspects of the plot diffuse the tension too much. It is redeemed somewhat by some basic but effective cross-cutting, although if it had been edited more carefully, it would have been helpful.
While objectively not all that good, it's interesting enough to be worth seeing. A weak, bizarre feature is almost always more entertaining than a weak, routine feature.
This is one of a number of features from around the same time in Griffith's career, in which he seemingly became pre-occupied with criminals who concoct weird ways of inflicting harm upon their victims. They are usually pretty odd, but they are at least interesting. This one concerns an angry tramp who decides to hurt a family who refuse to give him a handout.
The tramp character gesticulates wildly when no one else is around, so as to convince the audience of his ill intentions. Then he gives a demonstration of his plan, with the same panache that Batman's enemies used to display when showing off their latest unnecessarily complex way of eliminating their foe. While there is some real suspense that follows, the goofier aspects of the plot diffuse the tension too much. It is redeemed somewhat by some basic but effective cross-cutting, although if it had been edited more carefully, it would have been helpful.
While objectively not all that good, it's interesting enough to be worth seeing. A weak, bizarre feature is almost always more entertaining than a weak, routine feature.