"Barricade" is set during the invasion of China by the Japanese in the late 1930s. During this time, the central government was in shambles and in some cases, local warlords took advantage of the chaos. This film is set in the hinterlands of China during this war, near the Mongolian border.
Alice Faye and Warner Baxter play Americans who have fallen on hard times. Hank (Baxter) is a disgraced newspaper correspondent and Emmy (Faye) is on the run from the law. Both end up in the middle of no where in China. They take refuge at the local US consulate, where they find a most unusual man in charge (Charles Winninger). Despite the threat from Mongolian bandits, the Consul is steadfast in opposing them...insisting the property is US territory. What's next for the folks? All I know is it sure looks dire for them.
The film is interesting in that Faye does a lousy Russian accent and folks keep noticing it's lousy! Had they believed it in the story, it would have made for a less credible film. As for the story, it's overly sentimental and a bit hard to believe....but it's also a rousing adventure story that still is worth seeing.