Directed by John Ford • 1935 • United States
Starring Edward G. Robinson, Jean Arthur
Edward G. Robinson spoofs his own tough-guy image in this lively gangster farce, one of director John Ford’s rare forays into straight comedy. In a delightful double role, Robinson plays mild-mannered office clerk Arthur Jones, who just happens to look exactly like public enemy number one, the ruthless mobster Killer Mannion, an unfortunate coincidence that leads to serious trouble for both Arthur and his plucky office crush (Jean Arthur). The breakneck pacing and clever script (cowritten by Frank Capra’s regular collaborator Robert Riskin) yields one of the fastest and funniest screwballs of the 1930s.
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Directed by Jackie Chan • 1989 • Hong Kong
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