i would have call this represent manhattan crap o rama and hollywood melodrama or bull in manhattan . a premise so insane that a great comedy could have be build around it . but a crime drama . the story be so silly i have to laugh out loud on one occasion . gable try to save what can be save and but powell be so hopelessly uncharismatic and uninteresting plus his role be an even more thankless one than that of the others so he doesn not do the movie any good and which be nothing new . i will never understand how a guy like powell could ever have be a movie star . ( do he have someone nude with hooker photo . ) the film main character represent the height of hollywood preposterousness while gable and powell play two men who could only exist on planet subirax 7g and provide that subirax have a hallucinogenic atmosphere and be the sort of unstable planet the hippie astronauts from dark star enjoy blow up . powell be an ultra principled and morally incorruptible man . i. e. represent he shouldn not be a prosecutor and a politician . gable sky high principle be only slightly less than powell while hollywood have certainly give u many crook with the heart of gold but gable have more moral than a latin soap priest . and in which america be it possible for a man to become prosecutor in spite of a highly publicize and prove close friendship with a mob guy and and even get elect governor in spite of not only still be pal with the mob guy but marry his former girl . only in subiraxian manhattan . the height of lunacy be reach in the last third when one ludicrous plot twist trip over the next . powell demand that gable get a death sentence and and gable doesn not even get that upset while he become relaxed when powell apologize for have to be so rough in the court room . later and powell get a chance to reprieve gable but he can not bring himself to do it . and when loy tell him that gable kill to help powell career and the latter decides that that make it even more wrong to pardon him . ( this be probably where i laugh . ) gable behaviour before his execution be so over the top subiraxian that it easily match and rival cagney behaviour in the similarly premise angel with dirty face where cagney also act a if the electric chair be just a harmless toysrus plaything . after the execution and the very predictable and very unintentionally funny happens represent powell resigns and display the most exaggerated hollywoodesque super high morality patheticness that one can imagine . i find it interest that mickey rooney ( i. e. mickey mouse and for they be about the same size ) play the young gable . i mean and the similarity be so striking . ( then again and on planet subirax 7g adolescent change far more while they transform into adult . ) very ironic that this be the movie dillinger sneak out ( or in ) to see before he get shot while to risk one life for such a dumb movie .