High Pressure (1932) review - William Powell talks very fast about fake rubber

If you love watching William Powell wave his hands around and talk at 200 miles an hour, you need to watch this immediately today. People who enjoy old-school fast-talkers and chaotic 1930s energy will have a great time. But if you hate movies where people just scream into telephones in small offices, you should probably skip it.

William Powell plays Gar Evans, this incredibly optimistic guy who could probably sell a wet paper bag to a drowning man. He gets recruited to promote a new company that claims they can make artificial rubber out of... well, basically sewage. The catch? Gar has absolutely no idea if the science actually works, but he does not care.

I love how Powell plays this role. He does not look like a cheap crook; he looks like a guy who has successfully tricked himself first before trying to trick anyone else.

There is this great bit early on where they find Gar lying in bed, completely broke and depressed. But the second someone mentions a new scheme, he practically bounces out of the sheets and his mustache seems to perk up on its own.

The dialogue in this is so fast it feels like a ping-pong match where both players had way too much coffee. It has that frantic, desperate energy you also find in Small Timers, though everyone here wears much better suits. Or maybe even the hopeless, stubborn optimism of Whatever She Wants.

Frank McHugh is also on hand, playing his usual laugh-heavy sidekick. His laugh is so weirdly infectious, like a hen having a mild panic attack. 🐔

At one point, they hold this massive press conference to show off the invention. The inventor, this old guy who looks like he wandered out of a completely different movie, just stands there looking confused while Gar spins this wild story about the future of transportation.

The middle part of the movie gets a little bogged down in court scenes and corporate arguments. You can tell the writers did not really know how to resolve the science question without making everyone look like absolute idiots.

But honestly, who cares about the plot? You are just here to watch Powell pace around offices, smoking cigarettes and telling lies that he desperately hopes are true.

Also, Evelyn Brent is great as his long-suffering girlfriend. Her face during his big speeches is just pure "here we go again."

There is a weird scene where a guy gets so excited about buying stock that he starts sweating through his collar. The camera just stares at his neck for an awkwardly long time.

Its not a perfect movie, and the ending feels like they ran out of money and just decided to stop filming. But man, that first hour is just pure, unadulterated energy.

Some random things I wrote down:

• The sheer amount of gin consumed in the middle of a business day is honestly impressive.
• That one extra in the back of the office scene who is literally just staring at the ceiling for three minutes.
• William Powell's hair remains completely unmoved by gravity, even when he is screaming.
• The "artificial rubber" they show looks suspiciously like a piece of burnt cake.