DbcultAccessing Vault...
6.8/10
Senior Film Conservator
A definitive 6.8/10 rating for a film that redefined the boundaries of cult cinema. State Trooper remains a cornerstone of transgressive art.
Okay, so State Trooper from 1933. Is it something you gotta drop everything to see today? Probably not for everyone, let's be real.
But if you’ve got a soft spot for those quick, snappy pre-code mysteries, or just love seeing how these old-school thrillers used to roll, then yeah, give it a shot. Folks looking for deep character studies or effects that hold up? You’ll probably find this a bit quaint, maybe even a little silly. It's for the niche crowd, for sure.
Mike Rolph, our main guy, starts off as a highway patrolman, but poof, he's suddenly the police chief at W. J. Brady’s oil refinery. It happens so fast, you barely have time to blink.
Like, one minute he's on the road, next he's dealing with oil barrels and suspicious fires. The reason for this career jump isn't totally clear, but hey, it gets us into the refinery, right?
He’s also, rather conveniently, dating Brady's daughter, June. Their romance feels like it's been slotted in almost as an afterthought, a little too smooth, you know? But it does add a certain personal stake to the whole refinery mess.
And what a mess it is. Sabotage is everywhere. Like, stuff just keeps going wrong, and it’s obvious someone important is selling out to the "opposition refinery people."
The movie doesn't spend a lot of time on who these other people are, just that they're Bad Guys. It’s all about the immediate danger.
One scene, they’re talking about a stolen blueprint, and the camera lingers on a guy’s shifty eyes just a second too long. You can almost hear the director going, "Okay, audience, this one." 👀 It's kinda charming in its obviousness.
The action here is pretty quick. They don't dwell. Someone gets hit, someone runs, then it's onto the next clue or suspicious character.
Oscar 'Dutch' Hendrian, who plays one of the tough guys, really fills the screen whenever he's on. He doesn't say a ton, but his presence is just big.
And hey, a young Ward Bond pops up in a smaller role! It's fun to spot these familiar faces before they were the Ward Bond everyone knows. He's just another guy in the mix here, kinda neat.
There’s this one bit where they're chasing someone through the refinery, and the shadows are just perfect. It's not a big budget thing, but the way they use the light and dark makes the whole chase feel more intense than it probably should. You gotta appreciate those little touches.
Some of the dialogue can feel a bit clunky, like they're just getting all the plot points out as fast as
IMDb 6.2
1923
Community
Log in to comment.
