Watch The Crusader

The Crusader is a gripping drama film from 1932 that tells the story of a woman named Mary Durant (Evelyn Brent) who tries to clear her father's name by solving the mystery of his death. The movie is set in a small town where Mary's father, Joe Durant, was the owner of the local brewery. After Joe dies, the town's people accuse him of being a bootlegger and have his body buried outside the church's cemetery. Mary, who was living in New York City when her father died, returns to the town to find out the truth about his death and to clear his name.

The movie begins with Mary arriving in the town and seeking out the help of an old family friend, Father Paul (H.B. Warner). Father Paul knows the town's dark secret and tries to warn Mary not to get involved, but Mary is determined and won't give up until she uncovers the truth. She goes to the brewery and meets several of her father's former employees, including George "Mac" McAllister (Lew Cody), who was Joe's right-hand man. Mac is now the owner of the brewery and does not want Mary to interfere with his business. Despite Mac's opposition, Mary begins to investigate her father's death and finds out that he was not a bootlegger but a good man who was trying to stop the illegal liquor trade in the town.

As Mary conducts her investigation, she begins to fall in love with Father Paul, who is torn between his love for Mary and his devotion to the church. Along the way, Mary meets several other key characters that help her uncover the truth about her father's death. There's a rich woman named Mrs. Simpson (Nance O'Neil) who hires a detective named Tom (Theodore von Eltz) to follow Mary and find out what she's up to. Tom is a bit of a rogue and ends up falling for Mary, which complicates things even further. There's also a crooked sheriff named Kretzer (Ralph Ince) who is in cahoots with Mac and the other bootleggers in the town.

One of the most memorable scenes in the movie is when Mary is kidnapped by the bootleggers and taken to a secret location where they proceed to torture her for information. It's a harrowing scene that showcases Evelyn Brent's acting skills as she screams and pleads for mercy. Mary manages to escape and is rescued by Father Paul, who manages to fight off the kidnappers with his bare hands.

The movie culminates in a dramatic courtroom scene where Mary has to defend her father's name and prove that he was not a bootlegger. The scene is intense and features some great acting from the entire cast. In the end, justice is served, and Mary's father is cleared of any wrongdoing.

Overall, The Crusader is a compelling movie that features excellent acting, an engaging storyline, and some exciting action sequences. It's a bit melodramatic at times, but that's to be expected from a movie of this era. Evelyn Brent is excellent in the lead role, and H.B. Warner provides strong support as Father Paul. Lew Cody is also great as the villainous Mac, and the rest of the cast brings their A-game to the table. If you're a fan of old Hollywood movies, then The Crusader is definitely worth checking out.