The Great McGinty (1940)

IMDb plot summary: Dan McGinty has great success in his chosen field of crooked politics, but he endangers it all in one crazy moment of honesty.

Directed by Preston Sturges. Starring Brian Donlevy, Muriel Angelus, and Akim Tamiroff.

The Great McGinty is Preston Sturges' first directorial movie, about an unscrupulous man who gets recruited by the local mafia to become a powerful political figure that they can have in their pocket. He tells the story in flashback, so from the story we know it did not work out for him. This calls to mind something like Mr. Smith Goes to Washington, but with much more of a darkly satirical bent to it then a hopeful sincere one. That being said, it's not actually that funny. It leans more into melodrama but not one where you're intended to empathize with any of the characters -- except for maybe McGinty's wife who genuine affection for him and believes him to be better then what he's being at the moment. I often find myself understanding where Sturgis is going as a writer and director on his films but seldom feel involved in an emotional way. That's definitely the case here, and it means that almost immediately after watching his movie I forgot about it, which was not the case with something like, for example, the abovementioned Mr. Smith Goes to Washington. It's okay, but the satire doesn't really bite and the melodrama doesn't really hit, so there's not a lot for me to take away from it.

How it entered my Flickchart:

The Great McGinty < Gas Food Lodging

The Great McGinty > War of the Buttons (1994)

The Great McGinty < The Hills Have Eyes (1977)

The Great McGinty > Fame (1980)

The Great McGinty > The Big Sleep

The Great McGinty > Snatch.

The Great McGinty > The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo (2009)

The Great McGinty < Dead Man Walking

The Great McGinty < My Favorite Wife

The Great McGinty > Run Lola Run

The Great McGinty < A Connecticut Yankee in King Arthur's Court

Final spot: #2235 out of 3540, or 37%.