"Bank Alarm" is an early crime movie, evolving around a series of robbed banks and the agent who is supposed to solve the case. While he gets closer and closer to the solution, events begin to become more personal, as his sister is kidnapped by the gang.What you see is what you get with this one, and that is a pretty basic and solid crime movie. There are no major surprising plot twists and most of the story is already predictable from the very beginning, but nonetheless the production is of some value and avoids bigger mistakes concerning images or plot. As in most of the films of the era, the audience of course has to bear a lot of pathos, including a lead character that is both without failure and bad boy enough to impress the ladies. This and the forced attempts to be funny by adding a character whose only purpose is to produce slapstick, are the only aspects that really drew the movie a bit down for me.All in all you shouldn't expect too much of this film but on the other hand it would be unfair to call it a bad movie. If you're looking for a bit of old school crime action, this could be maybe worth a try.

Conrad Nagel is the only "big" name in this film, but I'd say it's a pretty satisfying B. You have to remember this is a poverty row product, yet it is well directed and acted and has a couple of interesting twists and turns as far as the script goes. Conrad Nagel and Eleanor Hunt play a G-man and G-woman who seem to have something romantic going - I was actually a bit confused at first as to whether or not they were playing a married couple - and are actually allowed to work together in the field in the days of J. Edgar, but then I guess that's another story. I think this film was going for the "Thin Man" married sleuth recipe that was such a hit in the 30's without being redundant, thus the federal agent angle. Nagel and Hunt display quite a bit of chemistry as well as good sleuthing teamwork. What I found distracting were some of Eleanor Hunt's headdresses! I know the well-dressed lady usually wore one up until the 1960's but gosh, I'm surprised she wasn't receiving radio signals on some of them! What brings the Feds to town is a group of bank robbers who have begun to knock off members of their own gang when they get to be too big of a risk - including one brazen murder inside a big city jail. You'd think this would have to lower morale inside the gang, but you'd be wrong. They seem to stay loyal to Mr. Big regardless of the fact that they have to know they could be next. And that's what our Fed agents are after - the Mr. Big behind it all, since the local authorities have been concentrating on picking up all of the low men on the totem pole with no lessening in the activity of the gang of robbers.There are really no surprises in this one, it's just an adequately executed bit of film history that is a good time passer. I could have done without Vince Barnett's somewhat forced pieces of slap-stick, and the local police are made to look so stupid it makes the cops in the Boston Blackie series look like Columbo, but that was probably done to make the Feds stand out as brilliant and saving the day.

The theft of bank funds seems perfect for thieves with airtight alibis seems tight to them: they were in jail overnight! But federal investigators and a female reporter are hot on the case that shows, even in a pre-digital age, clues are always left behind. An entertaining crime yarn filled with comedy thanks to a short, balding bumbling photographer (whom all the ladies think is "cute"), this also raises minor bit players to major character parts, and wraps up neatly in an hour. It is also well filmed so it doesn't look cheap, utilizing a dozen or so extras in a dance sequence (obviously crowded together to give the impression of a busy nightclub) and above average direction for a more "expensive" look.

Conrad Nagel is trying to get a line on a gang of gangsters. Can he figure out the connection between Carelli's night club and all the BANK ALARMs going off in Southwest, or will he be stymied by his really stupid photographer sidekick? This snooze of a B-movie has all the stuff you expect in a B. A really dumb sidekick. A police force worthy of Mack Sennett. A smooth talking super genius as lead detective, who suavely insults the buffoons leading the local police force. And a gangster named Corelli. The one thing it does not have is a compelling plot, since the scriptwriters decided to go for a rather bland police procedural plot, where the villains and the plot developments are easy to guess. The result is one of those under 60 minute movies that feels like a three hour epic. The only thing noteworthy is how genuinely awful the comic relief is, and how much of the running time is wasted on it. Nagel, at least, does not humiliate himself with a lousy performance, but that is the only good thing here.Nobody should waste their time on this movie.