Review of Brother Orchid (1940) by Michael G — 22 Jun 2010
Brother Orchid is an uneven and odd movie from the Warner Bros. gangster stable. Edward G. Robinson plays the likable little tough guy who gets chiseled out of his racket by a one-dimensional performance by Humphrey Bogart.
The first half of the movie plays like a gangster comedy that's not without its charms but the second half when a presumed dead Robinson hides out at a flower-growing monastery takes on this dramatic, Lost Horizonesque quality that's enjoyable enough, but just sort of left me bewildered.
Robinson and Bogart play their trademarked (at the time for Bogart, at least) roles and Ann Southern did the dizzy blonde thing perfectly. Ralph Bellamy was actually a standout. Brother Orchid definitely isn't required viewing but fans of Edward G.
and Bogart but it's not to be avoided either.
This review of Brother Orchid (1940) was written by Michael G on 22 Jun 2010.
Brother Orchid has generally received positive reviews.
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