The Devil Plays (1930)
Directed by Richard Thorpe
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Synopsis by Hal Erickson
The Devil Pays is a heavily plotted tale of blackmail, purloined letters and murder. Jameson Thomas plays a writer who, for a lark, gets mixed up with a murder investigation, much to the consternation of the cops. Midway through the film there is an attempt at social commentary, as the wealthy suspects are permitted to move about freely by the police, while the poorer suspects are summarily locked up. This is eventually forgotten as Thomas pieces together the clues and reveals the guilty party. Thomas Jackson, perennial investigating detective in films of this nature, goes through his customary paces in The Devil Pays.
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Keywords
blackmail, detective, investigation, letter, murder, police, suspect, writing