Gang Busters: The League Of Murdered Men
by Ray Taylor, Noel M. Smith
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DVD Cover Information
Actor: Irene Hervey, Kent Taylor, Ralph Morgan, Robert Armstrong, William HaadeDirector: Noel M. Smith, Ray Taylor
DVD: Region Code 0
Audio: English (Original Language)
Format: Black & White, NTSC
Picture Format: 1.33:1
Running Time: 251 minutes
DVD Release Date: 2008-09-16
Audience Rating: Unrated
Studio: Hermitage Hill Media
Movie Reviews of Gang Busters: The League Of Murdered Men
Movie Review: Great cops-and-robbers serial. The Hermitage Hill (Serial Squadron) version is the one to get
Summary: 5 Stars
Universal Pictures made serials as far back as the 1910s, and by 1942 they were old hands at making action pictures. Cliffhanger fans agree that GANG BUSTERS is one of Universal's best serial adventures (and in this writer's opinion, Universal's very best). The story has the city being terrorized by The League of Murdered Men, a gang of criminals whose members have all been declared dead! With this intriguing premise, 13 chapters of almost non-stop cops-and-robbers action follow, as the League's criminal mastermind declares war on the city's police force.
The cast is familiar from feature films of the period: Kent Taylor as the chief investigator, Irene Hervey as a press photographer, Robert Armstrong as a police detective, and an entire company of villains with familiar faces (Ralf Harolde, John Gallaudet, William Haade, Stanley Price, George J. Lewis, and a host of others). Ralph Morgan is tremendous as the soft-spoken mastermind; you won't soon forget his bravura performance.
There are two special distinctions to this serial. First, there is plenty of outdoor action staged by Ray Taylor and Noel Smith, including an exceptional cliffhanger in Chapter 3 (a speeding car hurtling to certain doom, with Irene Hervey on the running board). Some of the action scenes are so good that Universal reused them in later serials. The other distinction is that this is one of Universal's "streamlined serials," using a novel device: instead of recapping each chapter with narration or titles, Universal shot new footage, with the principals bringing the viewer up to date with spoken dialogue. Smart move in this case, because the new scenes get each chapter off to a fast start.
The original coming-attractions trailer is a bonus feature. Assembled before the film's release, it contains stock shots that DON'T appear in the actual film (watch for some VERY old cars!). The trailer can be sampled elsewhere on the Web.
Picture and sound quality are much better than the many public-domain editions of GANG BUSTERS. This is a Serial Squadron restoration, painstakingly produced by Eric Stedman. Insist on this version, because it's probably the best print you'll ever see of this subject. A comparison showing the results of the restoration can be found on the manufacturer's website.
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