"King Of The Underworld" is, without exaggeration, the worst Bogart film I have seen. He plays an impossibly-dim, impossibly-evil gangster with no motivation whatsoever. The screenplay calls for his character to torture Kay Francis and take interest in a hobo/writer he discovers at the side of the road, so that's what he does. Little is explained, and even less makes sense. (Was the character of Carole's mother there only for PURE exposition?) Warner Bros. made legendary crime films in the 30's and 40's, so there is no excuse for this graceless disaster. I love Bogie but he must have been incredibly discouraged by the script: he gives the worst performance of his career and often looks like he just wants the damn film to END. You will too.
Bogart's kingpin character Joe Gurney should logically want to murder Dr. Carole Nelson. She's a potential witness who might turn him over to the police in order to clear her name and save her medical practice. And although Bogie had no problem shooting a potential snitch in the back- in cold blood- in the film's opening minutes, the thought of harming Carole apparently never enters his mind, even when he's got her alone with his cronies. Caution: Open Plot-Holes Ahead. Next we have the barely-literate Joe obsessed with Napoleon- kinda. He sees himself as some Napoleon-like figure and drops vague "Napoleonisms" that sound like they were made up on the spot. Since all we know about Joe Gurney is in relation to Carole Nelson's case, this Napoleon sub-plot is incomplete and out of place. (Would the film be any different if he identified instead with Spiderman?) When Carole tells Bogie he's the moronic type Bogart brags to his goons- straight-faced, "Did you hear that, fellas? I'm the moronic type!" That's about the level of wit this film has to offer.
The finale, in which Dr. Nelson blinds Bogie and the boys with magic eye drops, would be more at home in a Three Stooges short. If you want great Bogart go see High Sierra, The Big Sleep, Casablanca, Treasure of the Sierra Madre, Key Largo, or The Maltese Falcon. This "King" is a crab.
GRADE: C-
Bogart's kingpin character Joe Gurney should logically want to murder Dr. Carole Nelson. She's a potential witness who might turn him over to the police in order to clear her name and save her medical practice. And although Bogie had no problem shooting a potential snitch in the back- in cold blood- in the film's opening minutes, the thought of harming Carole apparently never enters his mind, even when he's got her alone with his cronies. Caution: Open Plot-Holes Ahead. Next we have the barely-literate Joe obsessed with Napoleon- kinda. He sees himself as some Napoleon-like figure and drops vague "Napoleonisms" that sound like they were made up on the spot. Since all we know about Joe Gurney is in relation to Carole Nelson's case, this Napoleon sub-plot is incomplete and out of place. (Would the film be any different if he identified instead with Spiderman?) When Carole tells Bogie he's the moronic type Bogart brags to his goons- straight-faced, "Did you hear that, fellas? I'm the moronic type!" That's about the level of wit this film has to offer.
The finale, in which Dr. Nelson blinds Bogie and the boys with magic eye drops, would be more at home in a Three Stooges short. If you want great Bogart go see High Sierra, The Big Sleep, Casablanca, Treasure of the Sierra Madre, Key Largo, or The Maltese Falcon. This "King" is a crab.
GRADE: C-