What Price Crime: Low stakes, high coincidences

So, should you actually watch this?

If you have a soft spot for grainy, short-on-budget 1930s crime pictures, you’ll probably find something to enjoy here. If you’re looking for a tight, logical script, you’re going to be frustrated by about the second act. It feels like a movie made for a rainy Tuesday afternoon when you’ve run out of better options.

The whole thing kicks off with a warehouse robbery that turns lethal. It’s standard stuff, but it sets the wheels in motion for our undercover agent to start his messy plan. I kept waiting for someone to point out that 'dating the suspect's sister' is probably not the most stable strategy for a professional lawman.

The pacing is a bit weird. One minute we’re dealing with a high-stakes gun ring, and the next, we’re stuck in a romantic entanglement that feels tacked on. It reminded me a little of the messy narrative beats in Her American Husband, though this one tries a bit harder to stay serious.

Odd bits and pieces

• The car accident scene is pure 1930s convenience. It’s almost impressive how quickly the plot moves from 'total stranger' to 'let's go out to dinner.'
• The night watchman’s demise happens so fast you almost miss the stakes of the whole movie.
• I spent a solid five minutes wondering why the lighting in the warehouse looks like they were shooting in a basement with a single candle.
• Some of the side characters seem like they wandered in from a completely different set.

There’s a specific scene where the tension is supposed to be high, but the acting just feels… polite. It’s hard to buy into the danger when everyone looks like they’re waiting for their turn to speak at a town hall meeting. Maybe I’m being harsh, but I’ve seen better chemistry in a silent short like Stars in the Making.

It’s not a complete waste, but you can tell when the budget starts to thin out. Some of the interiors look suspiciously like a cardboard box. If you’re a fan of these older B-movies, you’ll get through it fine. Just don't go in expecting a masterpiece.

The ending lands with a thud. It’s not necessarily bad, it just feels like the writers ran out of film stock and decided to call it a day. Sometimes, that’s just how these things go.