**SPOILERS** Shocking exposer of a dreaded Klu Klux Klan like hate group using its dislike of, mostly non English speaking, foreigners then its usual dislike of blacks Jews and Hispanics to take its wrath out on.
In the movie we have a happy go lucky Frank Taylor, Humphrey Bogart, who hasn't a mean or racist bone in his body get corrupted and radicalized by this shadowy group of dangerous troublemakers called the Black Legion. It's when Frank lost out at being made foreman at his machine factory job to a son of Polish immigrants Joe Dombrowski, Henry Brandon, that he became rip picking for the Legion in it exploiting his frustrations of being skipped over for what they called a non-American. Frank started to change his opinion of his friends and fellow workers who were not like himself: Full blooded die in the wool Red White and Blue Americans! That radical opinion on Frank's part soon lead to him losing his job at the factory in him trying to recruit fellow "All Americans" like himself into the Black Legion instead of doing his job. Frank's radical and racist views also lead to his wife Ruth, Erin O'Brien, leaving him together with their 8 year-old son Buddy, Dickie Jones.
With nothing to look forward to Frank descended into his own living hell that was the Black Legion whom its existence and members he was sworn to secrecy at the cost of his and his family members lives if he ever exposed them to the pubic or police. It's when the Legion, together with a hooded Frank, grabbed Frank's good friend Ed Jackson, Dick Foran, who's been mouthing off, to everyone within earshot, about what a dirty rotten and cowardly bunch of cut throats and malcontents that they are that Frank suddenly got seconds thoughts about them. That's when Ed ended up getting killed by the Legion when he tried to escape with Frank being the person who gunned him down.
It was Ed's tragic death that he was responsible for that finally made Frank see the light in the darkness that he got himself involved in: The Black Legion. Trying to make right the mistakes he made Frank decided to turn himself over to the police and spill the beans on the Legion in what they did what their all about and even more who their members are! This had Frank blackmailed by the Black Legionaries in threatening not only his life but that of his wife Ruth and son Buddy as well!
***SPOILERS*** It took a lot of courage on Frank's part to ignore what the Legion threatened to do to him and his family in him exposing them-in open court-and the vicious crimes they committed! Like the torching of the Dombrowski chicken farm as well as kidnapping Joe and his dad, Egon Brecher Jr, who were never seen or heard from again! In the end Frank's honesty and guilty conscience brought an end to the Legion's reign of terror with them all ending up behind bars for the rest of their natural lives where they couldn't harm anyone including Ruth & Buddy. As for Frank he'll never see the light of day in being giving a life sentence for the murder of his good friend Ed Jackson but he'll at least know that he, by putting the Black Legion out of business, in some way made up for it.
P.S As it turned out "Black Legion" was in fact the first movie that Humphrey Bogart got top billing in. Not in what's always been thought in the film "The Wagons Roll at Night" which was released some 4 years later.
In the movie we have a happy go lucky Frank Taylor, Humphrey Bogart, who hasn't a mean or racist bone in his body get corrupted and radicalized by this shadowy group of dangerous troublemakers called the Black Legion. It's when Frank lost out at being made foreman at his machine factory job to a son of Polish immigrants Joe Dombrowski, Henry Brandon, that he became rip picking for the Legion in it exploiting his frustrations of being skipped over for what they called a non-American. Frank started to change his opinion of his friends and fellow workers who were not like himself: Full blooded die in the wool Red White and Blue Americans! That radical opinion on Frank's part soon lead to him losing his job at the factory in him trying to recruit fellow "All Americans" like himself into the Black Legion instead of doing his job. Frank's radical and racist views also lead to his wife Ruth, Erin O'Brien, leaving him together with their 8 year-old son Buddy, Dickie Jones.
With nothing to look forward to Frank descended into his own living hell that was the Black Legion whom its existence and members he was sworn to secrecy at the cost of his and his family members lives if he ever exposed them to the pubic or police. It's when the Legion, together with a hooded Frank, grabbed Frank's good friend Ed Jackson, Dick Foran, who's been mouthing off, to everyone within earshot, about what a dirty rotten and cowardly bunch of cut throats and malcontents that they are that Frank suddenly got seconds thoughts about them. That's when Ed ended up getting killed by the Legion when he tried to escape with Frank being the person who gunned him down.
It was Ed's tragic death that he was responsible for that finally made Frank see the light in the darkness that he got himself involved in: The Black Legion. Trying to make right the mistakes he made Frank decided to turn himself over to the police and spill the beans on the Legion in what they did what their all about and even more who their members are! This had Frank blackmailed by the Black Legionaries in threatening not only his life but that of his wife Ruth and son Buddy as well!
***SPOILERS*** It took a lot of courage on Frank's part to ignore what the Legion threatened to do to him and his family in him exposing them-in open court-and the vicious crimes they committed! Like the torching of the Dombrowski chicken farm as well as kidnapping Joe and his dad, Egon Brecher Jr, who were never seen or heard from again! In the end Frank's honesty and guilty conscience brought an end to the Legion's reign of terror with them all ending up behind bars for the rest of their natural lives where they couldn't harm anyone including Ruth & Buddy. As for Frank he'll never see the light of day in being giving a life sentence for the murder of his good friend Ed Jackson but he'll at least know that he, by putting the Black Legion out of business, in some way made up for it.
P.S As it turned out "Black Legion" was in fact the first movie that Humphrey Bogart got top billing in. Not in what's always been thought in the film "The Wagons Roll at Night" which was released some 4 years later.