Best Crime Movies of 1920
The Penalty
Blizzard, deranged from a childhood operation in which both his legs were needlessly amputated after an accident, becomes a vicious criminal, and eventually mob leader of the San Francisco underworld.

The Wonderful Chance
Upon leaving prison, an ex con vows to go straight, but circumstances force him to return to crime. Meanwhile, a gang of crooks kidnaps a visiting British aristocrat, but the ex-con has an incredible likeness to the Englishman, and his intended hosts take him home to their mansion.

Nomads of the North
A Canadian Mountie allows an innocent fugitive to escape with the women he loves.

April Folly
April Poole (Davies), a young writer in love with publisher Kerry Sarle (Tearle), visits the office of Mr. Sarle and his partner Ronald Kenna (Frank) and reads her latest story to them. She has made Sarle the hero, Kenna the villain, and herself the heroine. In the story, April changes places with Lady Diana Mannister (Marshall), who is being sent to South Africa to separate her from her lover, a young artist. A famous diamond that Lady Diana is to deliver at the end of her journey is given to April. Thieves trail her during her journey. With efforts by Kenna to steal the diamond prevented by the intervention of Sarle, the story comes to a close.

Alias Jimmy Valentine
The saga of Alias Jimmy Valentine began with the O. Henry story "A Retrieved Reformation". This surprise-ending tale was adapted into a stage play by Paul Armstrong, which subsequently was adapted to film several times

The Empire of Diamonds
Shot on location in Paris, Monte Carlo and the Riviera with both American and French actors. When Matthew Versigny discovers that the jewels his diamond company has been buying are fake, he travels to Europe to track down the counterfeiter. With him are his sister, Marguerite and her sweetheart, Paul Bernac, who is an agent in the French Secret Service.

Over the Hill to the Poorhouse
The mother of a large family is abandoned by her children and faces consignment to the poorhouse. But one of her offspring, the one no one had faith in, returns to rescue her.

The White Moll
Desperate because a wealthy man has reduced her father to thievery, Rhoda agrees to rob the poor box of the church, although she finds the act abhorrent.

Love Madness
When respectable Lloyd Norwood becomes infatuated with moll Goldie Lewis, he falls into a life of debasement, which results in his being accused of the murder of gangland henchman Joe the Swell. Norwood's wife Mary, convinced of her husband's innocence, determines to clear his name. Disguising herself as a vamp and infiltrating the underworld, Mary extracts a confession from the real murderer, Pussyfoot Connor, who is duped by Mary into believing that he sees the ghost of the murdered man. Later, in order to have witnesses to the story, Mary takes a midnight dinner with gang leader Jack Frost, arousing the jealousy of Connor, who enters and accuses Frost of instigating the murder. The police, alerted to the scheme, rush in and arrest the criminals.

The Deep Purple
Doris Moore is a country girl who is conned by two crooks, Harry Leland and Pop Clark. They convince the naive girl to come with them to New York City and play the badger game on William Lake. But the intervention of Kate Fallon, who runs the gang's New York home, saves the innocent and traps the guilty. Instead of tricking Lake, Doris marries him.

The Green Flame
Country bumpkin Frank Marham comes to New York City to work in a world-famous jewelry store. At the hotel where he lives, Frank meets Ruth Gardner, a newspaper reporter who is investigating the operations of a gang of jewel thieves, as is also her admirer, detective Dan Lantry. The store's manager, Roger Imlay, is a member of the gang

The Forged Bride
Professional forger Bill Butters realizes one day that the police are closing in on him, and convinces his daughter Peggy to flee.
Anna the Adventuress
Two identical sisters are able to switch places, leading to a series of unfortunate incidents.

The Master Mind
The defense attorney who was unable to obtain the acquittal of an innocent young man concocts a complicated and diabolical scheme to revenge himself upon the prosecutor.

The Strange Boarder
Honest Arizona rancher Sam Gardner, goes with his motherless son Billy to the city, where he is cheated out of ten thousand dollars by a band of crooks. Taking up residence in a boardinghouse where he meets Jane Ingraham, Sam decides that the only way to regain his losses is by gambling. To achieve this, he makes friends with gambler Kittie Hinch who takes him to Jack Bloom's gambling house. When Bloom begins flirting with Hinch's wife Florry, the injured husband kills his rival and the evidence points to Sam as the killer. Jane tries to provide him with an alibi, but fails. Just as things look grim for the rancher, a wire arrives from Hinch, now in Mexico, confessing to the crime. His faith in mankind thus rewarded, Sam is free to marry Jane

Wanted at Headquarters
Although she is the mastermind of a gang of crooks, Kate Westhanger's talents are unknown to those outside her circle, thus enabling her to infiltrate George Flanbaugh's gold syndicate. While ostensibly working for Flanbaugh, Kate actually is compiling information on a large gold shipment. One day, while working, Kate meets young criminologist Michael Pretherson, and although finding herself attracted to the sleuth, she laughs at his detective work and challenges him to stop her.

Parted Curtains
A young man just released from prison can't find work because no employer will hire an ex-convict. Broke and hungry, he steals money off of a painter. The painter, however, takes pity on him and decides to help him get his life back together.

The Mystery Mind
A murderous gang of mysterious creepy killers mark a young heiress for death. They are led by a ghostly voice known only as the "The Mystery Mind."
The Face at the Window
A detective is on the verge of revealing the identity of an elusive criminal. At the crucial moment, hedrops dead, the victim of foul play. A revolutionary electric devise is utilized to bring the detective back to life long enough for the successful completion of his mission.
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