The System

"The shakedown shootout monster-reign that crimedom called... The System"

Apr 18 1953 Approved 1h 30m
Crime, Drama, Film-Noir

A gambling boss is pressured by the law and press when a crusade is started against him after one of his collectors becomes a killer.

Plot

Gambler John Merrick (Frank Lovejoy) is the head of a bookie syndicate and the newspaper is crusading against him and the rackets, primarily because Merrick is in love with Felice Stuart (Joan Weldon), daughter of the newspaper publisher who can not break up the romance through persuasion. A senate committee investigating crime gets involved, the racketeers, other than Merrick who is a "nice guy", strike back and kill a reporter, and Merrick's own son, Jerry Merrick (Robert Arthur), commits suicide. Merrick, to his own disadvantage, helps bring down the syndicate. Since it is in black-and-white-, deals with crime and was an American-made film, some will call it "film noir" since that seems to be the current guidelines for putting a film in that, at one time limited-and-defined genre. It ain't, and neither are most of the others currently so classified.

Written by

Jo Eisinger, Samuel Grafton, Edith Grafton

Directed by

Lewis Seiler

Production Countries

United States of America

Production Companies

Warner Bros. Pictures

Languages

English

Awards

N/A

Scores
# of Votes
158
Average Rating
6.4 out of 10
Metascore
NA
Popularity
NA