Smart Money

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Smart Money

1931

1h 30m

Drama

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5 Reviews

49%

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250+ Ratings

After being cheated by big-city criminals, small-town Greek barber Nick Venezelos (Edward G. Robinson) lives up to his lucky reputation by returning to beat the criminals. With his winnings, Nick repays the townspeople who loaned him money, then opens a gambling parlor, using his barbershop as a front. Despite Nick's honestly conducted game, the district attorney schemes to shut him down, playing on both his weakness for beautiful blondes and the decency of his best friend, Jack (James Cagney).

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Matt Brunson

Film Frenzy

Jul 28

3/4

Only one time did Hollywood legends James Cagney and Edward G. Robinson share the screen, and it was in the same year that The Public Enemy and Little Caesar respectively made them overnight successes.

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Gabe Leibowitz

Film and Felt

04/24/2011

76/100

In many ways, the first half of Alfred E. Green's Smart Money can be seen as a stage-setter for John Dahl's game-changing Rounders.

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David Cornelius

DVDTalk.com

04/05/2008

4/5

Few actors had the energy and charisma to keep up with the rat-a-tat pacing of pre-Code gangster flicks that Robinson had.

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John J. Puccio

Movie Metropolis

03/24/2008

5/10

After the stars' debut in Little Caesar and The Public Enemy, this one must have been a letdown for fans. It was for me.

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Dennis Schwartz

Dennis Schwartz Movie Reviews

04/24/2003

C

A typical Warner Brothers crime drama of that period.

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Alain E

@AlainE Jul 27

I am Greek and I approve this message! This is not a realistic story, so, if you cannot get over it watch something else. We could call it a gambling melodrama. EGR doesn’t look particularly Greek, but he plays his role very well. Cagney here is a minor character. The fatal blondes are excellent. The restored black and white photography is very good. Again, realism is not a major attribute of the movie. I don’t think a convicted killer would be going to jail after a train ride wearing a three piece suit.

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acsdoug D

@acsdoug 12/04/2024

I was really looking forward to seeing Robinson and Cagney together, but the implausibility of the story ruined it for me. Robinson has an almost mystical power of winning at gambling, too unrealistic.

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Steve D

02/21/2024

The script is dull but the cast makes it ok.

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10/21/2014

Some parts of the script were dreadful, but Cagney and Robinson have enough charisma together to pull this off. It's a shame they never worked together again.

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02/01/2014

Decent Depression era yarn about professional gambling, and the associated scams and corruption. Cagney's role is very much supporting, but EGR is more than capable of carrying the film - if only the blokes I usually gamble with were as cheery as him.

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05/03/2013

Forgettable and not worth watching just because Eddie G and Jimmy C are in it together. Cagney doesn't get much air time and the movie doesn't have a single gunshot to it which is disappointing for a Robinson or Cagney movie...

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Alfred E. Green

Director

Edward G. Robinson

Nick "The Barber" Venizelos

James Cagney

Jack

Evalyn Knapp

Irene Graham

Ralf Harolde

Sleepy Sam

Noel Francis

Marie

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Synopsis

After being cheated by big-city criminals, small-town Greek barber Nick Venezelos (Edward G. Robinson) lives up to his lucky reputation by returning to beat the criminals. With his winnings, Nick repays the townspeople who loaned him money, then opens a gambling parlor, using his barbershop as a front. Despite Nick's honestly conducted game, the district attorney schemes to shut him down, playing on both his weakness for beautiful blondes and the decency of his best friend, Jack (James Cagney).

Director: Alfred E. Green
Producer: Alfred E. Green
Screenwriter: Kubec Glasmon, John Bright, Lucien Hubbard, Joseph Jackson
Production Co: Warner Bros.
Genre: Drama
Original Language: English
Release Date (Theaters): Jun 11, 1931, Limited
Release Date (Streaming): Apr 1, 2012
Runtime: 1h 30m

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