kidboots Bob Kane must have been an avid movie goer. The genesis for "Batman" can be seen in 1926's "The Bat" but the details of Bruce Wayne's private life must have been got from "The Public Defender". Richard Dix plays Pike Winslow, a bumbling playboy who amuses everyone with his deplorable head for finance - "not everyone can laze around and live off their dad's money" snarls Purnell Pratt (shades of "Zorro" here too). But he is leading a double life as "The Reckoner" - a "will o' the wisp" who secretly rights wrongs and whose calling card featuring a set of scales makes many corrupt businessmen quake in their boots. When a childhood friend Barbara Gerry's (Shirley Grey) father has been unjustly found guilty of misappropriating trust funds he swears he is innocent and accuses his associates of the crime (they certainly act guilty and one of them quickly flees to Bermuda)!!Like Clarke Gable, Boris Karloff may well have had one of his best years in 1931, the variety of parts he was given was astounding - a trusted convict ("The Criminal Code"), a defrocked priest ("Five Star Final"), head of a crime family ("The Guilty Generation") and of course "Frankenstein". You could also add the poetry reciting butler in "The Public Defender". His name isn't Alfred but all that is missing is the Bat cave and the Batmobile as he and Dix have a lot of fun ribbing chauffeur Paul Hurst who hasn't time for the niceties of wine, cheese and Keats!!!A few of these reviews seem to indicate that Dix's identity is instantly known but that is part of the movie's mystery. Although cinema goers would have guessed who "The Reckoner" really was long before the frustrated police, who grudgingly allow pesky Winslow to tag along (when they set a trap for "The Reckoner") so he can be in at the thrill of the chase.This is just a terrific movie - the type that gives a lot more enjoyment than some of the flashier As of the time. I really liked Shirley Grey. She had had a pretty awful life by the time she left films in 1936 to try to make a go of her third marriage (which failed) and the death of one of her sons during the War pushed her to the brink. She was a cool blonde who showed a lot of picture promise ("The Public Defender" was almost her first) but she just couldn't break away from programmers into the A league. Rochelle Hudson also had a tiny bit as a telephone operator.Highly Recommended.

MartinHafer To most, Pike Winslow (Richard Dix) is just some rich playboy living off Daddy's fortune. However, there is quite a bit more to him than this--he is a crusading masked hero whose calling card announces that he's 'The Reckoner'! And, with his two friends (Paul Hurst and Boris Karloff), they are out to right wrongs.The film begins with a bank officer getting accused for the bank's shortage of funds--and all the other officers ganging up on him to place this blame. However, Winslow know the man and his family and can't help but think he's being railroaded. So, the Reckoner and his friends go to work--stealing documents from the real crooks that would implicate them.All in all, this B-movie plays a lot like a very well-written and understated series film--such as Bulldog Drummond, the Saint, the Shadow or the like. But, the film is better written and quite exciting compared to a typical film of the genre. Too bad they didn't make some sequels--I would have enjoyed seeing further adventures of the Reckoner. Of course, given that 1931 also saw Karloff in "Frankenstein", perhaps he just better things to do than appear in more of these films.

calvinnme "The Reckoner", a vigilante of sorts, does the things that the police won't do - he brings lying stealing greedy banksters to justice. Considering what's been going on in the country the last three years as I'm writing this, the plot itself should win this one lots of fans.It's a shame that if Richard Dix is remembered at all it's often for his part in Best Picture winner Cimarron - his hammiest performance - rather than gems like this one. Here Richard Dix plays millionaire Pike Winslow, heir to a large fortune who, though well liked among the wealthy crowd, seems to be a bit of an idler. However, the truth of the matter is that he is "The Reckoner" who - along with two faithful assistants - steals incriminating documents from perpetrators of financial fraud and then does some financial forensic analysis to shine a spotlight on their crimes. The amusing thing here is that Pike's forensic analyst, "The Professor", is played by Boris Karloff. He pulls off the role of the erudite man of letters devoted to the cause of The Reckoner quite well.I couldn't help seeing the parallels between The Reckoner and Batman here. It would have been nice if, back when Warner Brothers was building deluxe DVD sets, they had put this movie as an extra to one of their Batman DVD releases - Warner Brothers owns the RKO library and therefore this film - plus this movie is unusual for early RKO properties in that it is in a very watchable state already. Highly recommended for anyone who likes an old thriller.

whpratt1 Taped this Richard Dix film in the early 70's and never realized that Boris Karloff made an appearance in this film. Dix(Pike Winslow) plays a Robin Hood in this film and seeks to correct all the wrong doing of blue collar executives in high places,(which sounds like 2003)who try to cheat people with their share holdings. Pike leaves his calling card, "The Reckoner", which means you are in trouble and will likely go to jail. He has sidekicks, namely Boris Karloff(Professor) who do all the undercover work so Pike Winslow can get them behind bars. A sweet charming and sexy looking young blond girl(or lady like she wants to be called) Barbara Gerry (Shirley Grey) fell in love with Pike when she was 12 and he was 18. Winslow finds out that her father has lost his entire fortune to these crooks and she will be out in the street with her aunt. The acting and film direction is fantastic, all the actors were very professional. This was Shirley Grey's first film debut and Boris Karloff was eager for work and was beginning to be seen in Hollywood, around the time of "Criminal Code" and "Frankenstein". I noticed that Max Steiner wrote the music for his film and was uncredited. This was a great film classic that I was happy I taped years ago and will enjoy for many years in the future. Richard Dix had a great magic in his acting that will live on forever andever.