Review of The Locked Door

I was surprised at how good this 1929 film is: it flows, it's not stagy, the camera moves (there is a nice long tracking shot near the start), the story is clear, and the actors seem comfortable with sound. And it is informative, too - I didn't know about the 12-mile-radius-free-drinking-ship thing! The ending is a little too convenient, and the comic-relief character of the hotel manager could have been cut (Zasu Pitts can stay, I like her). As for Barbara Stanwyck's first film appearance, there is nothing really special about her performance, but certainly nothing bad, either. The one who stands out in the cast is Harry Mestayer as the D.A. - he's a precursor of all those wily officers of the law in the movies who always know when you're lying. **1/2 out of 4.