White Tiger (1923)

A trio (Priscilla Dean, Wallace Beery, Raymond Griffith) of jewel thieves employ a chess playing automaton to gain entry into the homes of the wealthy. But two of them (Dean, Griffith) have a back history together that they don't know about. Co-written and directed by Tod Browning (FREAKS), an intriguing premise is poorly played out. The film whips up a bit of suspense later in the movie when the three thieves are holed up in a cabin amid signs their relationship is unraveling but by that time, it's too late to save the movie. The appealing Dean and Beery are fine but Griffith, who should be a sympathetic character plays his role like a snake oil salesman. The film would have benefited by a stronger underscore than the tinkling piano given us by Andrew Earle Simpson. For connoisseurs of silent cinema only. With Matt Moore and Alfred Allen.