This is an extremely long and epic film. It's very epic, not necessarily on a production level but on a storytelling level. There are many scenes, plot turns, twists, and highly complicated schemes by the villain to get money and women. There are several murders, which are executed in quite a bold fashion, as blunt as in The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari. Again, I will reiterate this commonality between many of these silent films is that they do not shy away from violence, deception, or the ills of man versus man. What human beings are capable of doing to each other is on full display like a mirror held up to the audience. Yes the scenarios are heightened and seemingly distant from the viewer's lives, but the actions themselves and reactions of the actors and characters show a cold truth about the dangers of the real world and the dastardly deeds we are capable of.
The villain of this film, like the villain of most silent films is far more realistic in his brutality and actions. He is not the slick, witty villain of the James Bond Era or even the intelligent villain of Hitchcock, but a flawed human being operating off greed and desire and doing whatever he deems necessary to get away with murder.
This film really makes that dog eat dog reality visible for viewers and it's that bold content that makes this film extremely riveting to watch.