Shadow of the Law (1930): cast, story & where to watch

Released in 1930, Shadow of the Law is a drama, crime and mystery film directed by Louis J. Gasnier, running about 69 minutes. “Two Women Want Him...One for His Money...One for His Love...And the Law Wants Him for Life!” — that tagline sets the tone.

What it’s about. John Nelson, a well-to-do businessman, is escorting a woman he knows as Ethel Barry to the door of her apartment suite when a man steps out of the shadows and angrily demands to know where she has been. The embarrassed Nelson excuses himself and goes to his rooms in the same hotel. The woman rushes into his apartment followed by the man who met her in the hall. The man threatens her with violence and Nelson comes to her defense. In the ensuing fight, the man is knocked out of the window and falls to his death to the pavement many stories down. He is charged with the killing and his only witness that can prove self-defense for him has disappeared, and can not be found.

Who’s in it. Shadow of the Law stars William Powell as Jim Montgomery aka John Nelson, Marion Shilling as Edith Wentworth, Natalie Moorhead as Ethel Barry aka Ethel George and Regis Toomey as Tom Owens, among others.

How it landed. With an audience score of 6.5/10, Shadow of the Law has drawn a solid, mixed-to-positive response.

Where to watch. In US you can rent or buy it from Amazon Video. See the full, country-by-country breakdown on our where to watch Shadow of the Law page.

If you liked it. Fans of Shadow of the Law tend to enjoy The Shawshank Redemption, The Godfather, Schindler's List and The Godfather Part II.