Darryl F. Zanuck had been executive producer at Warners/First National and had launched such trend setters as "Little Caesar" (1930) and "The Public Enemy" (1931) so when he left to establish Twentieth Century Pictures he was determined to keep up the hard hitting "plucked from the headlines" stories. When Zanuck merged with Fox, a top studio in the late 1920s that was now ailing, "Snatched" was among the first group of releases. It was Zanuck's first gangster film since his Warner days and had been penned by Kubec Glasmon, co-author of "The Public Enemy" but it ran into problems. The production code committee was appalled and refused to sanction a film involving a kidnapping (the film was based on the Weyerhauser kidnapping case), so in an insightful bit of rewriting, the story begins after the kidnapping. The title also had to be changed before a "purity seal" could be issued so the punchy "Show Them No Mercy" was substituted.
By the mid thirties studios had knuckled under to censorship that decreed that criminals had to take a back seat to the sterling heroes of law enforcement and initially films like "G Men" created a sensation but it soon became the norm - so a film like "Show Them No Mercy" broke new ground with the police kept in the background and the horrifying plight of the trapped family propelling the narrative.
The Martins, driving to California with their little girl and family dog, seek shelter from a rain storm in a desolate farmhouse. There is a build up of tension instantly, the ramshackle homestead looks as though it has been used - the fire is stacked, there is a recent newspaper on the floor, all laughed off by Loretta (Rochelle Hudson), noises are heard in different parts of the house - all adding to the viewer's suspense.
The place isn't deserted, it's being used by the kidnappers who are just returning with the ransom money. The dapper Tobey (Cesar Romero) is the leader but he also has to keep the psychotic Pitch in line. Bruce Cabot gives a powerhouse performance and easily over shadows his Keefer in "Let 'Em Have It" of the same year. Initially seen as a dumb thug, Pitch is revealed as a sadistic psychopath who becomes increasingly vicious under the influence of alcohol. Apparently Cabot based his character on "Mad Dog" Coll, a racketeer whose death was welcomed even by his own kind.
The Martins are kept prisoner in a locked room but when Tobey takes Joe into town to pass off some ransom money, Pitch, drunk and brutal, is very keen to get rid of Loretta and that "squalling brat" once and for all. Again the tension mounts as Joe realising the danger drives like a maniac to get back in time - pretty scary stuff!!
Rochelle Hudson was terrific as the at first contented wife whose dramatic scene when she defies the criminals is unforgettable and Edward Norris gives a nice performance as easy going Joe who is out of his depth when confronted by these low lifes. Makes you wonder why both didn't go on to better things. 1935 may well have been Hudson's best year. The scene where, manning a machine gun, she riddles Pitch with bullets was confronting and brutal, as well as realistic. Cesar Romero often said this was his favourite role. He tried to give the ruthless criminal a few glimpses of a more sophisticated personality.
Highly Recommended
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