Skip to content
HOLLYWOOD METRICS
HomeAboutCraftNewsAnalyticsScriptsBooksPricingAPIMCP
Catalog/Crime/The Criminal Code
The Criminal Code poster
B
Strong
MASTER SCORE 65.0 / 100
1931·Crime / Drama / Romance·1h 37m

THE CRIMINAL CODE

“LOVE saved him from worse than THE CHAIR”

After young Robert Graham commits a murder while drunk and defending his girlfriend, he is prosecuted by ambitious Mark Brady and sentenced to 10 years. Six years later, Brady becomes the prison warden and offers the beleaguered Robert a job as his chauffeur. Robert cleans up his act, but, on the eve of his pardon, his cellmate drags him back into the world of violence, and he faces a difficult choice that could return him to prison.

Above the Line
Howard Hawks·DirectorMartin Flavin·Theatre PlayFred Niblo Jr.·AdaptationJames Wong Howe·Director of PhotographySam Perry·Original Music ComposerEdward Curtiss·Editor
Cast
Walter Huston·Mark BradyPhillips Holmes·Robert GrahamConstance Cummings·Mary BradyBoris Karloff·Ned GallowayDeWitt Jennings·Yard Captain GleasonMary Doran·Gertrude WilliamsEthel Wales·Katie RyanClark Marshall·RunchArthur Hoyt·Leonard NettlefordJohn St. Polis·Dr. Rinewulf
Full Crew
(17 credits)
Directing· 2
Howard Hawks·DirectorDavid Selman·Assistant Director
Writing· 3
Martin Flavin·Theatre PlayFred Niblo Jr.·AdaptationSeton I. Miller·Adaptation
Camera· 3
James Wong Howe·Director of PhotographyTed Tetzlaff·Director of PhotographyL. William O'Connell·Still Photographer
Editing· 1
Edward Curtiss·Editor
Sound & Music· 2
Sam Perry·Original Music ComposerGlenn Rominger·Sound Director
Art & Design· 1
Edward C. Jewell·Art Direction
Production· 3
Howard Hawks·ProducerHarry Cohn·ProducerFrank Fouce·Producer
Other Departments· 2
Fred Niblo Jr.·Additional DialogueSeton I. Miller·Additional Dialogue
By the Numbers
65.0
OF 100
Master Score
6.9
OF 10
IMDb
—
CRITICS
Rotten Tomatoes
—
Worldwide Gross
0
1 NOMS
Oscar Wins
Where to Watch

THE AVAILABILITY MAP

The canonical record of where this film lives across the streaming map.

Provider Index In Progress

Streaming, rental, and purchase availability for this title is being ingested from the TMDB watch-providers feed and will appear here once the next catalog refresh runs. Until then, the canonical source links below remain the fastest route.

Find on TMDB
Poster DNA

THE VISUAL DECONSTRUCTION

A bespoke vision agent's reading of the design language behind The Criminal Code's key art.

Dominant Palette
3 colors
#4F345A
#D95744
#A2D483
Mood
Somber, Dramatic, Intense
Composition
Split
Era
1930s
Visual Style
Illustrated

“A vintage movie poster features three figures: a large, disembodied male head in the upper right, and a man and a woman seated in the lower left. The man is sea”

crimedrama
Key Elements
HatBrown BoxBarred Window
Atmosphere
Dark
Color Mood
Mixed
Setting
Indoor
Design Score
8/10
More Like This

THE NEIGHBORHOOD

Neighboring films in the catalog's similarity graph.

Keep Going

THREE WAYS DEEPER

Auteur
AUT
MORE BY HOWARD HAWKS

Every catalog entry where Howard Hawks is credited as director.

Open
Family
GEN
MORE CRIME

Top-ranked films inside crime, sorted by master score.

Open
Era
DEC
MORE FROM THE 1930S

The best films of the 1930s, ranked across every available metric.

Open
View on IMDbView on TMDBCatalog
HOLLYWOOD METRICS

The definitive mathematical oracle for cinematic success and creative script intelligence.

74,000+ Films100 Years1.1M+ Reviews
PRODUCT
  • Dashboard
  • Pricing
  • Script Analysis
  • Watch the Demo
  • The Red List
  • News
  • Analytics
  • API
  • MCP Connector
COMPANY
  • About
  • Track Record
  • Trust & Script Privacy
  • Privacy Policy
  • Terms of Service
CONNECT
  • ▶YouTube
  • ◉Instagram
  • ♪TikTok
  • @Threads
  • fFacebook
Get Started Free →
© 2026 Hollywood Metrics. All rights reserved.Powered by bespoke agents and autonomous agentic workflows