The Show (1927)

http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0018397/



**** out of 5

This silent thriller takes John Gilbert in a womanizing bad boy role similar to that played by Charles Farrell in Liliom, and plunges that character into the dark and eerie underworld that director Tod Browning so excelled in creating. Lionel Barrymore is the villain, played with just enough cruel cunning and vicious brutality to allow the viewer to root for John Gilbert's sideshow barker despite his lack of moral character. One can see the early roots of the Film Noir in this 1927 production, as Gilbert' misdeeds and bad choices cause him to experience ever-increasing troubles and danger.