Trust der Diebe (1929)

On the surface, Mr. Voilson is a respected jeweler, but in reality he is a member of a gang of thieves that calls itself “The Trust.” Even among themselves, the members of this gangsters’ gentlemen’s club are very secretive. So that none of them can ever identify the others, mysterious instructions from the top brass—whose boss turns out, of all people, to be a genuine banker named Greimann—are delivered only by a dog wearing a zippered collar. The police are on the trail of these light-fingered gentlemen, however, having found a mysterious informant who poses as a detective to the authorities. From then on, robberies often go wrong, and the thieves’ Trust begins to grow concerned. Meanwhile, jeweler Voilson is planning to leave the “club,” especially since the police already suspect him of being connected to the gang. To catch him, the clever young police assistant Miss Smith is disguised as a wealthy American who is currently staying at the Hotel Eden. From there, she contacts Voilson and asks him to visit her with some pearl necklaces, as she would like to buy a valuable piece. When Voilson arrives, he soon falls for the young woman and imagines he could begin a new life by her side. But everything turns out differently: Voilson must pay for his “betrayal” of the thieves’ Trust with his life, but before that, he manages to ensure that the police break up the criminal ring.