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4.9/10
Senior Film Conservator
A definitive 4.9/10 rating for a film that redefined the boundaries of cult cinema. Speakeasy remains a cornerstone of transgressive art.
If you are looking for a masterpiece of cinema, look somewhere else. Speakeasy is definitely not that. But if you want to see what it looked like when Hollywood was literally tripping over its own feet to figure out sound, this is a gold mine.
It’s 1929, and you can tell the actors are still scared of the microphones hidden in the flower vases. Every time someone speaks, they sort of lean in and enunciate like they are talking to a toddler. It’s hilarious and also a little bit exhausting to watch for eighty minutes straight.
The story is about Alice Woods, played by Lola Lane. She’s a reporter who wants to cover something real, not just the society pages. She convinces her editor to let her follow Martin, a boxer who is actually a pretty nice guy. Paul Page plays Martin, and he has this very specific 1920s leading man look where his hair never moves, even when he’s getting punched in the face.
The plot is pretty thin, honestly. Martin is going for the championship, but his manager is a total snake who wants him to lose. You’ve seen this a thousand times in better movies like The Barker, but there’s something about the way they do it here that feels very... raw. 🥊
One thing I noticed was the background noise. It’s so loud! In the gym scenes, the sound of the jumping ropes and the hitting bags almost drowns out the dialogue. It feels like the sound engineer just turned all the knobs to ten and went to lunch.
There is a scene in a locker room where the guys are just standing around talking. The camera doesn't move at all. It just stares at them for about three minutes while they recite lines that sound like they were written on a napkin five minutes before filming. It reminded me of the stiff feeling in The Lottery Man, even though that one is much older.
And yeah, for the trivia nerds, John Wayne is in this. He’s basically an extra. He’s just a guy in the crowd, totally uncredited. It is weirdly fun to try and spot him among all the other guys in flat caps and suits. He looks like a baby.
The actual "speakeasy" part of the movie is actually kind of cool. It feels smoky and crowded. You can almost smell the cheap gin and the desperation. It’s much more interesting than the boxing stuff, which feels a bit staged and slow. 🍸
Lola Lane is the best part of the whole thing. She has a lot of energy. While the men are standing around acting like statues, she’s actually moving and using her hands. She makes the movie feel like it has a pulse.
The ending is exactly what you think it will be. There’s no big twist. There’s no deep message about the human condition. It’s just a movie about a guy who wants to win and a girl who wants a story. And honestly? That’s fine. Sometimes you just want to see a guy in high-waisted shorts box another guy.
I wouldn't recommend this to my mom, but I’d recommend it to anyone who likes seeing how movies used to be made. It’s a bit of a mess, but a fascinating mess. It’s better than some of the other junk from that year, like Love's Sweet Piffle, which is just painful to get through.
The dialogue is clunky. The pacing is weird. The sound is grainy. But it has this weird, earnest charm that you just don’t get in modern movies. It’s like watching a high school play with a multi-million dollar budget (for 1929 anyway).
One specific moment that made me laugh was when a character enters a room and just stands there for five seconds waiting for his cue. You can almost hear the director whispering "Go!" from off-camera. It’s those little imperfections that make me love these old flicks. 🎬
Is it worth watching today? Only if you have a high tolerance for static and people yelling their lines. But if you’re into the history of it all, it’s a neat little time capsule of a New York that doesn't exist anymore.
The manager, Cannon, is so obviously a villain. He has this mustache that he practically twirls. I wish they made villains this simple today. No tragic backstory, just a guy who wants money and doesn't care who he hurts. It’s refreshing in a way.
Anyway, don't expect too much and you'll have a good time. It’s a b-movie through and through. Just a loud, punchy b-movie from a hundred years ago.
IMDb —
1915
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