One of those neglected masterpieces on a minor scale that were outshadowed by more garish and spectacular sensations, like "Citizen Kane" of the same year, that made its hit by targeting Randolph Hearst, which ruined Orson Welles' career to some irrepairable extent, but this film is equally brilliant if not even more, or at least it is even better written, although lacking the flamboyant Welles technique, while Mervyn LeRoy's direction efficiency actually is on more top speed all the way. Robinson's newspaper man is equally controversial and ruthless as Welles but stays on a human basis, which citizen Kane does not. The film is also very reminiscent, and perhaps even more so, of Ben Hecht's and Charles MacArthur's famous "Front Page" of 1931, remade as "His Girl Friday" 1939, which also remains human all the way. They are parallel cases of super brilliant journalism, while "Unholy Partners" is more to the thiller side - shots are actually fired, there are crooks involved, and not until the end you stay uncertain whether Robinson's ruthless editor is on the crooked or the right side. There are many ingenious turnings in this fantastic web of journalistic intrigue, and it would be a pleasure to see it again. I never wanted to see "Citizen Kane" again.

Edward G. Robinson plays a newspaperman who comes home from World War I with a plan to launch a tabloid newspaper. The problem is he can't find financial backing from any reputable businessmen, so he gets it from racketeer Edward Arnold. Which is fine, at first, until Robinson starts running stories that tick Arnold off.Enjoyable crime drama from MGM with solid turns from the two Edwards playing characters that aren't so nice. Kind of funny that the protagonist in this is less likable than the villain!. They always tried to give Eddie G. young love interests and in this one it's Laraine Day, who wasn't even born when WWI ended. She's fine but miscast as one could never see her being into Robinson and, frankly, she's at least a decade younger than she should have been. Really I'm not sure why it was necessary to set the film in the post-WWI years, especially when they don't try very hard to capture that era. Many of the hairstyles and clothing are of the 1940s not 1920s. The movie also features a banal "young lovers" subplot. William T. Orr plays the guy and he is nothing special. Lovely Marsha Hunt plays the girl and she gets to sing, which is nice, but other than that also nothing special. Despite some issues, there's no way a movie starring Edward G. Robinson and Edward Arnold could be a total misfire. The movie is most interesting when these two are on screen together. Give it a look for the Eddies.

****SPOILERS**** Edward G. Robinson as hard hitting editor of the New York Mercury newspaper Bruce Coprey bites off more then he can chew when he starts going after his silent partner in the paper big time mobster Merrill Lambert, Edward Arnold. This ends up with Corey's star reporter young 23 year old Tommy Jarvis, Wittiam T. Orr, being kidnapped by Lambert's hoods and threatened to be disappeared, or murdered, by them unless Corey hands over his 50% of the newspaper to Lambert. It was by Tommy discovering an insurance & loan shark racket that Lambert was involved in that was the straw that broke the camel's back as far as Lambert was concerned. Now taking off the gloves and playing hard ball newspaper editor Corey resorts to the same tactics that his unholy partner was involved in with him freeing Tommy from Lambert's clutches even if he has to kill to do it.Even though the Mercury was a smashing success publishing tabloid like news stories editor Corey just couldn't help going after his partner on the paper Merrill Lambert who he felt was an insult to everything that America stands for. In turn by going on a holy crusade against Lambert Corey himself ended up being not that much better hen he is. You seem to notice that Corey was really enjoying what he was doing to expose Lambert and his bookie insurance gambling and loan shark rackets but was doing it for his own self gratification not to really help those victimized by them. In fact Cory like to do some illegal gambling on his own which ended up getting him the cash he needed to start up his hard hitting against crime newspaper in the first place. With Tommy's life now in danger because of his attempts to expose and have indited his partner in the newspaper Merrill Lambert Corey goes all out to free him even at the expense of his both reputation as well as life to do it.****SPOILERS**** After getting the job done by whacking Lambert, who in fact tried to whack him, and getting Tommy freed Corey takes a trans Atlantic flight, that his newspaper is sponsoring, with famed French pilot Molyneaux, Marcel Dailo, across the Atlantic Ocean only to fly into a violent sea storm and be lost at sea. This not only confirms Corey's reputation as a fighter against crimes but keeps him from being arrested and indited for Lambert's murder which was in fact a case of self defense. As for Tommy Jarvis he can now go back to work replacing Corey as the editor of the Mercury newspaper and continue the work, in fighting and exposing crime, that his good friend the late or lost at sea Bruce Corey started.

Edward G Robinson (Corey) returns from the war and is offered his old job back at the newspaper he used to work for. However, he has bigger ideas and wants to run his own newspaper now. The only way he can get financing to start his business is to come to a deal with gangster Edward Arnold (Lambert). They become 50/50 partners in the business - the unholy partners of the title. Robinson is one of these do-gooder types who wants to clean up the city and so, when Arnold - his financier and number 1 gangster in town - tells him to back off from a story, he disobeys him coz he wants to see justice done. What a knob-head. He is basically begging to be killed off. Whether he does get what's coming to him is up to fate.This is pretty predictable stuff with a corny ending. Robinson is good as always but Arnold is better. Thank God he is in the film. He has a sort of Raymond Burr deep voice and big thuggery frame and makes a good baddie. The rest of the cast are OK, although William T. Orr (Tommy) is slightly annoying at times. The film is not particularly good and there is no need to see it again. It finishes and then you sling it onto the junk pile - if you have any sense. Robinson's character is unconvincing and the final line is pure cheesiness. It's not a disaster but there's not a lot to say about it. Everyone has done better and it's a forgettable affair.