Thunder in the City Review: Edward G. Robinson's Loud British Adventure

If you have seventy-six minutes to spare and want to see Edward G. Robinson act like a hyperactive golden retriever, Thunder in the City is worth your time tonight. It is a loud, incredibly goofy 1937 comedy that anyone who loves fast-talking old movies will eat right up.

But if you hate scratchy old sound quality and people saying "golly" in top hats, you should probably skip this one. It is definitely not for everyone.

The setup is pretty simple. Edward G. Robinson plays Dan, an American ad man who gets sent to England because his bosses think he is too loud.

They wanted him to learn "dignity" from the British. Instead, he just teaches the English how to go absolutely wild with ballyhoo.

He gets involved with some stuffy aristocrats who own a mine full of a useless metal called "Silenium." The movie treats this fake metal like its made of solid gold and magic.

Dan decides to sell it to the public using the most obnoxious American tricks possible. We are talking giant parade balloons, brass bands, and flashing neon signs in the middle of London. 🇬🇧

The British lords just stand there looking like they swallowed a whole lemon. 🍋 It is incredibly funny to watch.

Honestly, the best part of the movie is just watching Robinson's face. We are so used to seeing him play terrifying gangsters, but here he is just... incredibly happy.

He has this giant grin that takes up his entire face, and he keeps aggressively slapping people on the back. It is a total joy.

It reminds me a bit of the frantic pacing in Too Many Cooks, where everyone is just talking over each other constantly. Except here, there is a weird culture clash that makes it even sillier.

Nigel Bruce is in this too, playing a duke who is basically a giant baby. You might know him as Watson from the old Sherlock Holmes films.

He spends most of his screen time looking utterly confused by modern advertising, which feels very on brand for him. I loved every second of it.

There is this one really strange scene that I cannot stop thinking about. Dan is trying to explain how business works to a room of old lords, and he starts using a toy train.

The camera just stays on the toy train for what feels like two full minutes. It is supposed to be this big inspiring moment, but its just a tiny metal train going in circles.

And the romance plot is totally unnecessary. Dan falls for a lady named Lady Patricia, but they have about as much chemistry as a pair of wet socks.

You can tell the movie just threw her in because every film in 1937 needed a girl for the hero to kiss at the end. It feels very forced.

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