Flesh

John Ford's take on pro-wrestling. Wallace Beery is the nicest brute in the Germany where he wrestles and works as a waiter. He falls for a confused lady who's just been released from prison, Karen Morley. The movie moves a little slow at times, but it's a real character study. Morley, while she continually deceives him, doesn't come across as evil as her acts suggests. She balances her emotions real well, and this might be one of her best performance of her career!

Ford does something interesting with what otherwise looks like a standard film--he creates two compelling characters, infusing the simple buffoon with a goodness that really matters, and more significantly, bringing a moral quandary to a point of crisis for a woman who seems beyond morality at the film's opening. The editing is exceptional in several scenes, including communicating through cutting to a blurry scene just how dangerous a situation the female protagonist is in. Much to chew on here