The Purple Gang on AllMovie

Set in Detroit during Prohibition this taut crime drama offers food for thought as it chronicles the struggle of an angry cop to stop the teen violence and gangland activities that threaten to destroy his city. The story begins as he and an idealistic social worker argue over the fate of a particularly violent young punk. The cop wants to let the harsh realities of prison life teach the troublesome youth a terrifying lesson; the social worker thinks the punk needs to be psychoanlyzed. The youth involved sides with the cop. Not long after their dispute, the battered, raped corpse of the social worker shows up. The cop knows the youth did it but is hindered by bureaucratic laws that prevent the officer from obtaining the needed evidence. Therefore the hellion is free to get involved with gangsters and become an even bigger criminal. Fortunately, nothing will prevent the dogged cop from working to bring the bad boy to justice.