Strongly influenced by the German cinema of the late 1920s, director Roland West is often cited as having created America’s first expressionist crime film with this stylish and taut little thriller that presaged the rise of film noir. Eye-grabbing compositions, eccentric Art Deco sets designed by William Cameron Menzies, and the experimental use of sound make Alibi like a cinematic funhouse, a carnival of shadow and violence and angst that dazzled viewers in 1929 and earned the film three Academy Award nominations.

Restored by UCLA Film & Television Archive and The Film Foundation, in collaboration with Cohen Film Collection. Restoration funding provided by George Lucas Family Foundation.

Academy Award Nominations: Best Picture, Best Actor (Chester Morris), Best Art Direction