Conspiracy

A cast of unforgettable eccentrics, a clever script full of narrative quirks and flashbacks, a murder mystery and an intricate scheme combine to bring gangsters to justice and provide outstanding entertainment. A brother and sister secretly work together for four years to bust the narco ring responsible for the death of their father. Killing a gang member in self-defense, sister Margaret (D.W. Griffith's coquette queen Bessie Love) seeks incognito sanctuary in a rooming house. She is soon joined by a moonlighting 'sob-sister' human-interest reporter (Hugh Trevor) and a cantankerous mystery writer (Ned Sparks, playing something of a geriatric precursor to The Shadow, complete with black slouch hat and cape). Together, the three hatch a scheme to nab the narco ring and free Margaret's brother from their clutches.

• classic
• drama