The Criminal Code

This hard-edged, morally complex pre-Code drama of crime and punishment stars Walter Huston as a crusading district attorney who winds up becoming warden of the prison where many of the men he put away are now incarcerated—forcing him to face the brutal reality of an unjust justice system. A pre-FRANKENSTEIN Boris Karloff turns in a memorably menacing performance as a hardened inmate, while Hawks, helming just his second full talkie, shows his early command of sound through the naturalistic dialogue and taut pace.