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Five Star Final

Play trailer Poster for Five Star Final Released Sep 26, 1931 1h 29m Crime Drama Play Trailer Watchlist
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91% Tomatometer 11 Reviews 79% Popcornmeter 250+ Ratings
To increase newsstand sales, New York Evening Gazette managing editor Joseph Randall (Edward G. Robinson) is pushed to revive a 20-year-old murder case involving Nancy Voorhees (Frances Starr), who shot the father of her child for his infidelity. Nancy is now married and happily planning the marriage of her daughter, Jenny (Marian Marsh). Randall sends unscrupulous reporter T. Vernon Isopod (Boris Karloff) inside to get the scoop, but publishing the story has disastrous consequences.

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Five Star Final

Critics Reviews

View All (11) Critics Reviews
Variety Staff Variety Edward G. Robinson means a lot to this entertainment. Mar 26, 2009 Full Review Dave Kehr Chicago Reader Mervyn LeRoy directed, doing a lot better with the newspaper chatter than with the long stretches of melodrama. Jun 24, 2006 Full Review Mordaunt Hall New York Times This production races along without a desultory instant. Rated: 4/5 Jun 24, 2006 Full Review TV Guide This is an offbeat but fascinating film which pillories the transgressions of the muckraking tabloids so popular in the 1920s. Rated: 3/4 Jan 31, 2012 Full Review Ken Hanke Mountain Xpress (Asheville, NC) A blistering indictment of tabloid journalism and built around one of Edward G. Robinson's most compelling performances. Rated: 5/5 Apr 28, 2011 Full Review Emanuel Levy EmanuelLevy.Com Mervyn LeRoy's expose of greedy tabloid journalism was nominated for the Best Picture Oscar, but is not as compelling as the similarly-themed The Front Page, though Edward G. Robinson is good. Rated: C+ Feb 21, 2008 Full Review Read all reviews

Audience Reviews

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Mark B Once you get past the speech patterns -- did people ever really talk like this, outside of the movies? I wonder... - it's not a bad story. Robinson waits for the entire film before he finally gets to chew the scenery, and it's worth it. (#452 in my "watch all Best Picture Nominees" bucket list) Rated 3.5 out of 5 stars 03/25/24 Full Review acsdoug D I'm usually not a big fan of movies about newspapers and I liked this one quite a bit. Yes, some of the dialogue and the acting appear dated, but the story is interesting and the production is well done. Rated 4.5 out of 5 stars 02/11/24 Full Review Louisa E This wasn't too bad. I like Edward G. Robinson's acting style. The last part was so impactful to me and the performance of H.B. Warner. I wish we had more backstory on the Townsend's to make it a bit more powerful but it the theme came over loud and clear. Still a problem to this day. 7.2/10. Rated 3.5 out of 5 stars 05/09/23 Full Review Audience Member Any film that explores the dark side of journalism should be applauded. It was a very well done and powerful film. Well made, well written, and strongly acted. Anybody that loves Robinson, Karloff, and LeRoy will be happy. This was a relevant subject at the time and is relevant now. Some acting is patchy. Nancy is a dull character and Starr has very little warmth. Occasionally it's a little corny but those moments are seldom. It's stylishly filmed and has good atmosphere and grit. The decision not to use music was good and there was some clever use of sound effects, the sound of machines being almost eerie. LeRoy allows the drama to remain gripping throughout the film and the film is leanly and intelligently scripted. Moreover the story is absorbing. What is shown here is very disarming and honest with the film being quite uncompromising which helps make it more powerful. Rated 4 out of 5 stars 02/08/23 Full Review steve d It still works really well. Rated 3.5 out of 5 stars 03/30/23 Full Review Audience Member Before Orson Welles' Citizen Kane took a veiled shot at newspaper tabloid tycoon Willian Randolph Hearst director Mervyn LeRoy did the same with Five Star Final. LeRoy, Edward G. Robinson - with co-stars Marian Marsh and Aline MacMahon - deliver a powerful story of how the tabloid media ruins lives for profit. The final scene is powerful and a must-see. Rated 4.5 out of 5 stars 02/13/23 Full Review Read all reviews
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Five Star Final

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Movie Info

Synopsis To increase newsstand sales, New York Evening Gazette managing editor Joseph Randall (Edward G. Robinson) is pushed to revive a 20-year-old murder case involving Nancy Voorhees (Frances Starr), who shot the father of her child for his infidelity. Nancy is now married and happily planning the marriage of her daughter, Jenny (Marian Marsh). Randall sends unscrupulous reporter T. Vernon Isopod (Boris Karloff) inside to get the scoop, but publishing the story has disastrous consequences.
Director
Mervyn LeRoy
Screenwriter
Byron Morgan
Distributor
Warner Bros. Pictures
Production Co
First National Pictures
Genre
Crime, Drama
Original Language
English
Release Date (Theaters)
Sep 26, 1931, Original
Release Date (Streaming)
Nov 18, 2016
Runtime
1h 29m
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