Edward G. Robinson plays a disgraced D.A. who starts working for the very people he tried to put away in "Illegal," a 1955 film also starring Nina Foch, Hugh Marlowe, Albert Dekker, Jayne Mansfield, and Ellen Corby.
When he is unable to stop the death row execution of an innocent man in time, Victor Scott (Robinson) sinks to the depths, turning to alcohol, until he realizes that he can have a lucrative career as a defense attorney for the mob. This is a disappointment to his protégé Ellen (Foch), who worked as his legal assistant and is still in the D.A.'s office along with her new husband (Marlowe). When someone from that office is suspected of leaking information to Scott, Ellen becomes a suspect.
This was not a huge budget film. Instead, director Lewis Allen uses a real building interior and the streets of LA for some scenes, which really adds to the atmosphere.
Robinson really dominates this film -- for a short man, he was a towering presence. I loved the scene where he admires the mobster's art collection -- it was actually loaned to the studio by Robinson. Besides Corby, future TV series stars DeForest Kelly and Edward Platt appear in smaller roles. Jayne Mansfield has a good part in her film debut, that of a singer/girlfriend of a mob boss. Nina Foch hands in a strong performance as the disillusioned Ellen.
I had one small problem with the denouement of this film. Everything hinged on a phone call, but couldn't one access phone records in 1955? There is no mention of this; instead, there is a scramble for a witness. Odd, but a good film nonetheless.
When he is unable to stop the death row execution of an innocent man in time, Victor Scott (Robinson) sinks to the depths, turning to alcohol, until he realizes that he can have a lucrative career as a defense attorney for the mob. This is a disappointment to his protégé Ellen (Foch), who worked as his legal assistant and is still in the D.A.'s office along with her new husband (Marlowe). When someone from that office is suspected of leaking information to Scott, Ellen becomes a suspect.
This was not a huge budget film. Instead, director Lewis Allen uses a real building interior and the streets of LA for some scenes, which really adds to the atmosphere.
Robinson really dominates this film -- for a short man, he was a towering presence. I loved the scene where he admires the mobster's art collection -- it was actually loaned to the studio by Robinson. Besides Corby, future TV series stars DeForest Kelly and Edward Platt appear in smaller roles. Jayne Mansfield has a good part in her film debut, that of a singer/girlfriend of a mob boss. Nina Foch hands in a strong performance as the disillusioned Ellen.
I had one small problem with the denouement of this film. Everything hinged on a phone call, but couldn't one access phone records in 1955? There is no mention of this; instead, there is a scramble for a witness. Odd, but a good film nonetheless.