This innocuous black & white 1955 juristic crime melodrama is more entertaining than realistic. Edward G. Robinson plays a district attorney with political aspirations who sends the wrong man to the electric chair and never recovers from the experience. Clearly, the message here is that the death penalty is flawed. "Illegal" is the second remake of "The Mouthpiece" (1932) with Warren William originating the role of the aggressive district attorney that Robinson would play. The first remake was "The Man Who Talked Too Much" (1940) with George Brent and Brenda Marshall. Our ambitious protagonist, Victor Scott (Edward G. Robinson of "Little Caesar") turns into a lush and then recovers and goes to work for a crime syndicate boss. As it turns out, someone is acting as a pipeline out of the District Attorney's office, and D.A. Ralph Ford (Edward Platt of "Rebel Without a Cause") suspects that the guilty party may be none other than Ellen Miles (Nina Foch of "Prison Ship"), a woman who works in the office. It doesn't help matters that Ellen shot and killed her husband Ray Borden (Hugh Marlowe of "Birdman of Alcatraz") and accuses him of leaking information.
Naturally, Ford believes that she is defaming the reputation of her murdered husband to keep herself from frying in the chair. Victor Scott (Edward G. Robinson of "Little Caesar") decides to defend Ellen because he put her through school and got her a job in the D.A.'s office. Scott is as shrewd as they come and doesn't mind stooping to pull a trick or two to keep his clients out of stir. The best scene involves a poisoning case that gets thrown out because Scott gulps some of the poison and survives. Of course, in a real situation, this desperate bid for victory would be challenged by somebody, but remember this is a movie. Our hero fends off too many questions and goes into hiding where a nurse and doctor are prepared to administer an antidote. Another good has Robinson confronting his successor in the D.A.'s Office and pointing out that every idea that Ford has is an idea that Scott has already had. Albert Dekker is satisfactory as a mobster chieftain and Jayne Mansfield makes her cinematic debut as one of the mobster's gals who answers the phone for him. Jan Merlin is terrific as a skull-faced gunsel who knocks off people for Dekker. The W.R. Burnett & James Webb screenplay contains several memorable lines of dialogue. "Desert Fury" director Lewis Allen keeps the action moving along rather nicely despite its formulaic plotting. "Waltons'" grandmother Ellen Corby plays Scott's secretary. Oh, yes, the poor schmuck who burns in the chair is none other than Deforest Kelly.
Naturally, Ford believes that she is defaming the reputation of her murdered husband to keep herself from frying in the chair. Victor Scott (Edward G. Robinson of "Little Caesar") decides to defend Ellen because he put her through school and got her a job in the D.A.'s office. Scott is as shrewd as they come and doesn't mind stooping to pull a trick or two to keep his clients out of stir. The best scene involves a poisoning case that gets thrown out because Scott gulps some of the poison and survives. Of course, in a real situation, this desperate bid for victory would be challenged by somebody, but remember this is a movie. Our hero fends off too many questions and goes into hiding where a nurse and doctor are prepared to administer an antidote. Another good has Robinson confronting his successor in the D.A.'s Office and pointing out that every idea that Ford has is an idea that Scott has already had. Albert Dekker is satisfactory as a mobster chieftain and Jayne Mansfield makes her cinematic debut as one of the mobster's gals who answers the phone for him. Jan Merlin is terrific as a skull-faced gunsel who knocks off people for Dekker. The W.R. Burnett & James Webb screenplay contains several memorable lines of dialogue. "Desert Fury" director Lewis Allen keeps the action moving along rather nicely despite its formulaic plotting. "Waltons'" grandmother Ellen Corby plays Scott's secretary. Oh, yes, the poor schmuck who burns in the chair is none other than Deforest Kelly.