The Great McGinty

The Great McGinty was Preston Sturges's opportunity to hinder studio interference by directing one of his own screenplays. When this low-budget effort became a box-office success, Sturges suddenly found himself with the clout to make projects that were even more unusual. Brian Donlevy, not always a likable actor, shines in the title role, and his relationship with Akim Tamiroff's character, The Boss, gives the film its core. The Oscar-winning screenplay is clever and inventive, and, while Sturges was seldom a technically inspired director, neither does his visual style intrude on the story. That Sturges would go on to make greater films in no way lessens the quality of this one. And, unlike many studio comedies from the early 1940s, it's still funny. ~ Richard Gilliam, All Movie Guide