This underrated Harold Lloyd Talkie feature is Capra-esquire before the term was even invented - in fact, before that director ever really made those kind of films (which is not to say that it directly influenced him)! Anyway, it's typical of Lloyd in many ways as well (the innocent at large in a big city) yet the film is more interesting as a political satire (with which many star comedians dabbled in around this time, with varying degrees of success). Una Merkel is an unlikely leading lady, however, being unsuited to Lloyd's persona but the supporting cast - made up of familiar character actors of the era - is quite wonderful.
The film - in essence, a wish-fulfillment fantasy for Depression-era America - is, not surprisingly, rather talky and, ultimately, overlong; still, it contains much to be grateful for - especially once Lloyd's character (a Missionary elected puppet Mayor of a city controlled by an all-powerful racketeer) turns dictator and decides to round up every known gangster he can lay his hands on: having spent his formative years in China, he pretty much lives by their code and, with the help of a Chinese magician, stages elaborate old-style executions in a cellar which enable him to get each of his captives to confess to their past crimes out of fear - thus ridding the town of corruption in one fell swoop!
The film - in essence, a wish-fulfillment fantasy for Depression-era America - is, not surprisingly, rather talky and, ultimately, overlong; still, it contains much to be grateful for - especially once Lloyd's character (a Missionary elected puppet Mayor of a city controlled by an all-powerful racketeer) turns dictator and decides to round up every known gangster he can lay his hands on: having spent his formative years in China, he pretty much lives by their code and, with the help of a Chinese magician, stages elaborate old-style executions in a cellar which enable him to get each of his captives to confess to their past crimes out of fear - thus ridding the town of corruption in one fell swoop!