BULLETS OR BALLOTS (EDWARD G ROBINSON) Region 2

it is true that "bullets or ballots" is somewhat unbelievable, even by hollywood's usual standards. the plot is a bit thin and the ending could have stronger and more detailed.
even so, this film has its good points too. edward g. robinson makes for a good police officer who's undercover to nail barton macclane and humphrey bogart(in one of his many gangster roles), the dialogue is pretty much what you would expect but that's not a bad thing and the pace is fast and furious.
in my humble opinion, i would nominate robinson and bogart with providing the acting honours. in addition, they do have good on-screen chemistry in their scenes that practically sizzle with tension. joan blondell is wasted as her character isn't given a lot of depth. she was put to far better use back in the early 1930s when alongside james cagney.
the lack of location footage shows a bit in "bullets or ballots" as the studio sets and backlots aren't very convincing. as a result, the scope of the production isn't quite as grand as it could have been.
the special features on this dvd are fantastic. my favourite ones are the studio blooper reel provided by "warner bros." from 1936/37 and the radio drama of "bullets or ballots," with edward g. robinson and humphrey bogart reprising their respective characters along with mary astor.
i mainly recommend this film if you are a fan of robinson or bogart.

Edward G Robinson plays a tough cop.but when he's kicked of the force he goes to worke for the mob,but he's only working undercover to find out whos the big bosses are. it's a good entertaining gangster film.theres not has much action,but Edward G Robinson plays a good part and Humphrey Bogart is a great triger happy gangster.and theres Joan Blondell looking beautifull. special features.warner night at the movies-vintage newsreel-musical short george hall and his orchestra-classic cartoon-trailers the charge of the light brigade-new featurette gangsters-shortfilm how i play golf by Bobby Jones-breakdowns 1936 blooper reel-and a audio radio show with Robinson,Bogart and Mary Astor.picture and sound perfect

Johnny Blake (Edward G Robinson) is kicked off the police force and hooks up with Al Kruger's (Barton MacLane) gangsters. However, he is actually working undercover and is gunning for Al's bosses. Along the way, he crosses swords with Fenner (Humphrey Bogart).....

This film is easy entertainment but it must be stressed that it is a boy's film. The main female in the cast is Joan Blondell who plays "Lee Morgan" but she does not have a very big role. She runs a small racket in the "numbers" game which Al's gang takes over with Blake at the head. This provides a misunderstanding between Blake and Lee, who are friends. Lee feels betrayed and she unknowingly betrays his whereabouts to Fennel for a showdown at the end. The showdown is pretty lame. The two of them stumble across each other and start shooting. One shoots the other and the other shoots the other back. Pathetic!

Edward G Robinson is ok in the lead. He is likeable but does not make enough of an emotional connection for us to really care about what happens to him at the end. It is also laughable when he punches one of the tough gangsters to the ground surrounded in a room by several other tough gangsters. All much taller than him. I don't think so! He would have been battered. On the other hand, Humphrey Bogart is excellent as a hard man and he wins the acting honours in this film. Frank McHugh has a small role as "Herman" in a one of those unfunny comedy roles and he is a complete tool.

As regards the plot, it is all a load of nonsense. NO WAY would Al give Blake such a powerful position in his organization. There is also NO WAY that the other gangsters would have tolerated this ex-policeman, especially as the cartels start to get broken up soon after his arrival. How obvious! The film is ok to watch and passes the time and the character that sticks in the mind is Humphrey Bogart. I'm not sure if the film is worth keeping onto, though.