Straight Is the Way: A Gritty Little Pre-Code Mess

If you're hunting for a polished, seamless noir, keep walking. Straight Is the Way is a bit of a relic, and it shows its age in ways that are both frustrating and strangely charming.

Is it worth watching? If you like pre-code grit and have a high tolerance for melodramatic acting, sure. If you need tight pacing, you’ll probably want to bail after twenty minutes.

The Setup

Benny Horowitz is out of prison. He wants a quiet life. Naturally, the movie won't let him have one for more than a heartbeat. It feels like every character Benny runs into is just there to remind him that his past is basically a giant anchor.

The film doesn't really bother with subtle character development. It just shoves Benny into conflict and expects us to keep up. It’s got that frantic, 1930s energy where everyone talks in rapid-fire bursts, even when they're supposed to be having a serious heart-to-heart.

Small Observations

There is this one scene with the mother, played by May Robson. She’s honestly the best part of the whole thing. She brings a weight to the room that the rest of the cast just... doesn't have. Every time she’s on screen, the movie stops feeling like a B-picture and starts feeling like an actual drama.

Cinematic perspective: Exploring the visual vocabulary of Straight Is the Way (1934) through its definitive frames.

Then you have the gangster buddies. They look like they wandered off the set of a much cheaper movie. They spend most of their time leaning against walls, looking menacing in a way that feels almost rehearsed. It’s not great, but it’s hard not to laugh a little.

The pacing is all over the place. Sometimes it sprints, and other times it just stands around waiting for something to happen. It reminds me a bit of the uneven vibe you get in The Skin Game, where the plot feels like it’s being pulled in two directions at once.

Why watch it?

It’s not a masterpiece. It’s not even a particularly good movie by modern standards. But there’s a raw, unpolished honesty here that you don't get in big studio productions.

It’s messy. It’s loud. The ending feels rushed, like the writers just decided they were done with it and wanted to go home. 🤷‍♂️

If you’re a fan of old Hollywood oddities, this is a fun curiosity. If you’re looking for a serious crime drama, maybe stick to something else. It definitely isn't as sharp as Scars of Jealousy, but it’s got enough spirit to keep you watching until the credits roll.

• The lighting in the final act is surprisingly moody.
• Benny’s transition to 'good guy' is about as subtle as a brick.
• The dialogue is pure 1934 gold, full of slang that makes no sense today.

It’s just a weird little movie that doesn't quite know what it wants to be. And honestly? I sort of liked that about it.