The Big City is a 1928 American silent crime film directed by Tod Browning[1] and starring Lon Chaney.

Collins has Helen hide the loot in her dress shop, where her naive employee "Sunshine" (Betty Compson) almost exposes the jewels to some investigating policemen in her ignorance.

The police raid the place, but Chuck and his sidekick Curly (James Murray) escape and hide out in Helen's apartment.

While he's staying there under cover, Collins falls in love with Sunshine and starts thinking about going straight and turning the jewels over to the cops.

Collins finally winds up stealing back the jewels yet again, and this time he turns them over to the police, hoping that Sunshine will see him now as a good person.

But Collins learns that Sunshine and Curly are engaged to be married, so he conceals his disappointment and wishes the happy couple his best.

[5][6] Critics loved Chaney's tough portrayal of the soft-hearted gangster, and this acclaim probably led to his being cast as a detective in WHILE THE CITY SLEEPS, filmed later that year.

----Film Daily "The Chaney-Browning team has made an altogether showmanly job of this melodrama adventure in photoplay."