Although only three previous reviews of this picture are provided here as this note is written, the film "Hunted Men" is pretty well covered by them. I felt unsatisfied with the film in general, both with the premise of the story and where it goes, and also with the Lloyd Nolan gangster character being so disgusting.
Taking Nolan first, it is difficult to fathom Nolan as such a rotten character being appreciated by his fans, both because he is such a cold-hearted mobster and because he additionally has such a lecherous eye for young girls about less than half his age. Of course, when this film was made Nolan was still developing a track record and a following. Sympathy seems to be requested for him as the film moves along, but giving it to him is a big step for the viewer... I couldn't go there. It was never made clear in the film why he became a badman, so because of that and his demonstrated bad behavior there is little reason for us to root for or even care about whether he can claim redemption. What's more, there really is no other person in the play that we are asked to care about, either. That Nolan lingers at the home for many days on end without any ramifications or local interest by anyone other than the two that know his secret seems a little unlikely.
The acting by the cast is sensitive and done well, but built-in energy is minimal. One further difficulty is that after the story gets rolling there is little variety in the way of locales to keep one's interest from dulling. Although Mary Carlisle headed the credits (for at the time of production she had a recognized name), her role, too, engenders little in the way of caring, either (Carlisle reportedly passed away in 2018 at age 104 years). The film was aptly pointed out by another reviewer as being ancestral to "Angels With Dirty Faces," and I might add possibly with a distant and older relative named "Petrified Forest." In summation, "Hunted Men" (not really apt for this film's title) is most interesting for seeing a relatively early Loyd Nolan in a role as a bad guy. It is well-acted by an earnest cast, but the story as told is only fair and the movie definitely stands in the B-picture line.
