Pit of Darkness (1961)

Richard (William Franklyn) works at a safe making company. He wakes up dazed in an industrial wasteland with a wound on the side of his head but that is only the start of the trouble. When he makes it home he finds he has been missing for three weeks...

Richard has no idea what has happened in those missing three weeks but his wife Julie (Moira Redmond) is rather suspicious, especially as a strange woman has been calling for him. She is also suspicious as a private detective she hired to look for Richard was found dead and his card is found in Richard's pocket...

Richard sets out to try and find out what is going on, especially who is the woman calling for him and what is this cottage they seem to share? Richard begins to realise he is mixed up with a couple of mysterious thugs (Leonard Sachs and Tony Booth) who haven't finished with him.

A neat little British crime drama, efficient with decent performances though maybe without sufficient spark to push it into exceptional. Watch out for the Dave Clark Five, in their early days before they became one of the Beatles' main rivals, as the band in the nightclub scene.

I am a Criminal (1938)

Cocky crime boss Brad (John Carroll) hits the rocks when he is charged with manslaughter of the DA's son. To build up his public image he hires PR adviser Clint (Craig Reynolds). Clint suggests Brad adopts an orphan...

Brad adopts Bobby (Martin Spellman) and soon is very fond of him. Unfortunately Clint is carrying on with Brad's girl Linda (Kay Linaker) behind his back. Bobby tells Brad what is going on and he throws Linda out. Clint then begins a campaign to bring Brad down forcing the criminal to flee with Bobby. Brad and Bobby make a mountain resort owned by Alice (Mary Kornman), naturally Brad falls for Alice...

So it can be a bit corny but once you realise the film is really about Brad and Bobby's bonding and not a gritty crime thriller then the film is much more enjoyable.

The Legend of Hell House (1973)

Paranormal investigator Dr Barrett (Clive Revill) is hired to investigate a notorious haunted house owned by a Mr Belasco. Everyone else who has been in the house has either died or gone mad but Dr Barrett still leads his team in anyway including his wife Ann (Gayle Hunnicutt), and two mediums Ben (Roddy McDowall) and Florence (Pamela Franklin).

Whatever is haunting the house doesn't waste much time, the team soon find themselves under attack including poor Florence who gets attacked by a possessed cat and Dr Barrett is attacked by various cutlery in a terrifying poltergeist event. Ann meanwhile has become sex obsessed...

The film is very frightening indeed but the danger is mostly implied with atmosphere and sound without overdoing the special effects. This makes the feeling of creepy menace in this film and house all the more powerful.

Border Patrolman (1936)

An enjoyable romp at the US-Mexico border. Bob Wallace (George O'Brien) is a patrolman who gets mixed up with jewel smugglers led by Chuck Owens (LeRoy Mason).

Chuck is in a relationship with spoiled rich girl Patricia (Polly Ann Young) though its only a cover for his criminal activity. When Bob is forced to apologise to Patricia he quits the border patrol but then takes a job with Patricia's grandfather (William P. Carlton) to keep his unruly granddaughter in line...

Chuck meanwhile needs to bring an expensive stolen necklace across the border, how better than to have it smuggled in Patricia's purse whom he plans to marry in Mexico...

An entertaining film with good chemistry between the two leads and the odd bit of decent humour though the characters are a bit one-dimensional. The film ends with a well made action set piece. The film has some fine Western touches plus some 1930s style.

Off Track (1991)

Jacky Cheung stars as a Triad street racer thug  who of course has a dad in the police (there seem to be that many HK cops with sons in the gangs you'd think someone would have noticed a link by now)...

Jacky races Max Mok and they come to car blows followed by people blows. Then Max falls for Jacky's sister Loletta Lee and gets more than just his oats for his troubles. (Hint : never try and date a Triad's sister, especially a really violent Triad.)

Jacky wants a way out of his life of crime though after his Dad is killed but of course there is one last race... against Max. Then it looks like he has been killed by Max and Jacky's gang go crazy in order to avenge their big brother...

Its all very silly with typically over the top Triad hi-jinks really with a very bloody and tragic ending. Its a film of it's time and that time is massive brick cellphones and Sierra XR4is. The film isn't that great but the street racing scenes are.

The Monster (1925)

A rather creepy if frequently ridiculous film that perhaps wasn't quite sure what kind of film it was supposed to be: a horror, comedy or even a mystery. When people start disappearing a store clerk Johnny Goodlittle (Johnny Arthur) begins to suspect the nearby lunatic asylum and turns amateur detective...

In the asylum Lon Chaney is waiting as an actual mad scientist up to no good. He entraps Goodlittle plus the target of his affections Betty (Gertrude Olmstead). In a dark house on a dark stormy night our heroes are menaced by various creepy going on involving sliding doors and hidden passages...

So it ticks all the boxes but is just a bit too silly. Its a romp with just about enough fun to pass the time. You could think it is a parody of mad scientist and dark house films though this may well have been the original to those kinds of films.

The Rogues Tavern (1936)

In a large house in the middle of nowhere people are being bumped off on a stormy night. Yes its a dark house mystery and almost self-parody at times but undeniably entertaining.

Jimmy (Wallace Ford) and Marjorie (Barbara Pepper) are a couple of eloping detectives looking for a judge, instead they find a hotel run by Mrs Jamison (Clare Kimball Young) full of strange characters including somewhat over-the-top mystic Gloria (Joan Woodbury) and a man in a wheelchair (John Elliot) - though you if you've seen enough of these films you know he doesn't really need it...

The deaths soon begin to take place. A dog is blamed due to teeth marks on the victims but after some vain (and failed) attempts to shoot the dog Jimmy discovers the teeth marks are fake and to mask the real killer, a homo sapiens...

That isn't the only mystery in the house as several of the guests have been invited for an unknown purpose. The film has little in the way of originality but is a good watch with some sharp dialogue and genuine mystery that keeps you guessing. The film is a little shoddy at times, the entertainment sometimes unintentional.

Crossroads to Crime (1960)

A neat if unexceptional crime drama, the most notable thing about it being it was an early film by Gerry Anderson though no futuristic cars, planes and puppets here.

PC Ross (Anthony Oliver) gets on the trail of criminals when he sees Connie (Miriam Karlin) being bundled into a Ford Zephyr by Diamond (George Murcell). He attempts a rescue and hangs on the side of the car before it deposits him in the ditch.

But as Ross is a lowly bobby no one at the station believes that something fishy is going on.

Connie is being used by the gang to steal lorry loads who stop off at the transport cafe she works at. Ross decides to find out what is going on himself without any help...

It is a serviceable if average crime drama. Its well directed with some lovely set design as you might expect though the story and acting (may have been better off with some puppets after all) let the side down a bit. The music is also oddly jaunty and plinky plonky for a tough crime drama. Undeniably interesting though and worthwhile.

Slaves in Bondage (1937)

A crime drama with an exploitation edge about young girls dragged into prostitution. When Mary Lou (Louise Small) manages to escape her would be captors taking her to the Berrywood brothel the police and (naturally) the local newspaper now begin the campaign to bring down the gang led by Jim Murray (Wheeler Oakman) and their sordid game.

So it sounds a decent plot but things get bogged down by a side-plot involving Mary Lou's sister Dona Lee (Lona Andre) and her reporter boyfriend Phil (Donald Reed). She gets a job as a beautician at a parlour run by Murray who then tries to bring down Phil to break him and Dona up so he can have Dona for himself.

Unfortunately the film is a bit dull. It is watchable but considering the juicy nature of the plot it is surprisingly a bit of a yawn.

The Brides of Fu Manchu (1966)

The most evil man in the world Fu Manchu (Christopher Lee) has kidnapped the daughters of top scientists, in this second film in the Fu Manchu series, to force their fathers to aid him in his diabolical plot to conquer the world. Though when he has no more use for one of these daughters into the snake pit she goes...

Inspector Nayland Smith (Douglas Wilmer) is of course trying to foil Fu Manchu who now possesses a death ray that can destroy targets across the world. The first test is successful, destroying an ocean liner but can Fu Manchu be stopped before he destroys St Pauls cathedral and kills the world's elite assembled for a conference in London?

Amid much pseudo-Oriental nonsense and antics across the world we'll find out if Fu Manchu succeeds or not. The film is enjoyable though plot wise is a bit of a mess and the sexploitation angle is heavily played up having young women in revealing outfits being menaced and tortured, the latter often by Manchu's daughter Lin Tang (Tsai Chin) who was always a highlight of the Fu Manchu series along with Christopher Lee of course.

The Canary Murder Case (1929)

The first in the Philo Vance (William Powell) series. The detective is called in to help his friend Spotswoode (Charles Lane) who is a suspect in the murder of a showgirl (Louise Brooks) who had her claws into Spotswoode's son Jimmy (James Hall) along with some other rich gents...

The murder case is baffling, it almost looks like the perfect crime. Some of the suspects (as there are a few) seem to have perfect alibis. Philo Vance of course is one step ahead and manages to find the culprit (unlike the bungling police) after some expert sleuthing and a game of poker.

The film is a fine murder mystery and decent early talkie (if a bit too wordy at times). It was in fact originally made as a silent movie and then converted into a talkie. One problem however was that Louise Brooks did not want to record her lines so her dialogue had to be dubbed by Margaret Livingston and some scenes redone. Brooks ended up being blacklisted by Hollywood for a time because of this.

Transatlantic Tunnel (1935)

This is the near future (to the 1930s cinema goer anyway) and people live in an Art Deco fantasy world with videophones and fantastically pointy aircraft and cars. Richard McAllan (Richard Dix) and Fred Robinson (Leslie Banks) have devised a scheme to dig a tunnel under the Atlantic between England and America using advanced radium drills. Tunnels have already been dug under the English Channel and Caribbean but the Atlantic is another thing entirely...

While Richard works every hour he can his Ruth (Madge Evans) and child are neglected. Ruth even takes a job as a nurse looking after the ever growing number of sick and injured workers. Ruth herself is afflicted by the strange illness that affects workers and loses her sight.

But the project presses on, with Richard unaware of his wife's affliction or indeed anything else except for the tunnel. When his now grown-up son arrives on the site he barely recognises him. A big problem comes when they reach the mid-Atlantic ridge and the investors get jittery. The project must continue no matter the cost but for Richard the cost is so so high...

The tunnel sets look incredible, an Art Deco vision of the world how it could have been if two world wars had not shattered the Imperial dream.

Park Plaza 605 (1953)

Tom Conway is Norman Conquest (no really that's really the character name, he was a popular literary detective in the mid-twentieth century). He is a private detective who veers a bit far over the line between cheeky charm and annoyance. He gets involved in a quite frankly ridiculous plot involving Russians, stolen Nazi diamonds and murder basically by accidentally killing a pigeon carrying a secret message while playing golf with his assistant Pixie (Joy Sheldon).

The message is about a rendezvous in a hotel, naturally Conquest decides to go along and see what is going on. There he finds the lovely Nadina Rodin (Eva Bartok) who drugs Conquest and when he wakes up he finds himself accused of murdering a member of the Soviet trade delegation by the police in the form of Sid James...

A pleasant crime drama that trots along merrily enough without knocking down any doors. The humour could easily be ill judged but kind of works with this film which mixes dark and light story elements in an industrial blender. The resulting porridge isn't bad at all.

The Ghoul (1933)

A wonderfully sinister and atmospheric horror film. Professor Morlant (Boris Karloff) is an Egyptologist who has taken a valuable jewel which he believes grants eternal life. Aga Ben (Harold Huff) seeks to restore the jewel but the Professor dies before he can reach his dark mansion. The Professor insists on an elaborate burial in a tomb by his sour Scottish servant Laing (Ernest Thesiger) with the jewel in his hand. But someone steals the jewel...

As the Professor's friends and family Ralph (Anthony Bushell) and Betty (Dorothy Hyson) gather in the mansion the Professor appears to raise from the dead, however without the jewel he is a ghoulish zombie. Now intent on revenge on whomever stole the jewel...

The film has a creepy build-up followed by a rather frenetic final act with various capers including a burning tomb and some cops and robbers. The Golden Age fetish for the esoteric mysteries of the Orient are strong with this one. There is some good humour too and witty lines. One particularly enjoyable scene is where Betty's friend Kaney (Kathleen Harrisson) and Aga Ben hilariously send up the erotic desire for The Shiek.

For Ladies Only (1981)

John (Gregory Harrison) is a budding young actor with big dreams when he arrives in New York, dreams that prove very difficult to make a reality. As his career fails to get going he meets Stan (Marc Singer) who tells him there is a lot of money to be made taking your clothes off...

John thus joins Stan at ClubMax and becomes a smash hit stripping for women. He quickly eclipses Stan whose drug habit is taking him downhill fast. However his fame as a stripper is in danger of killing off his lingering hopes of becoming an actor...

A familiar story though in an unusual setting. It also has some interesting depth too, often films about strippers are an exercise in cheese and while the shows are outrageously over the top the acting performances really shine through.

The Last Duel (1989)

Alex Man plays a fishball seller who is always in scrapes with the police, and ends up getting framed for the manslaughter of a pregnant woman by a ruthlessly ambitious cop played by Karel Wong...

After 3 more years of prison Alex returns home to find his woman gone off to Australia and replaced by Rosamund Kwan (not that bad a deal) and his former underling Dicky Cheung is shacked up with an part-time prostitute.

Then the bad cop rapes his bro's girl and revenge is (of course) sought. But the bad cop has the law on his side (and no matter how much he bends the rules that seems to remain the case) and what does Alex have... well an illegal fishball concession.

It all ends up in an extremely violent and bloody showdown. Great action and a cool bad guy. But then again bad guy cops are always cool. The film is nothing new, it is merely a competent example of HK ultraviolence. There is a little too much violence though, a little more story instead might have been a good idea.

Tarzan and the Green Goddess (1938)

Tarzan (Bruce Bennett) is in Guatemala (although still with African animals around) and is helping Major Martling (Frank Baker) and Ula Vale (Ula Holt) steal - sorry put into safety - the idol of a Mayan tribe. The idol contains the secret formula for Mayan explosives which could become the ultimate weapon...

Raglan (Ashton Dearholt) meanwhile is also trying to steal the idol and formula for more nefarious ends. Plus the natives are trying to get their idol back and we get a regular to and fro struggle. The film is an edited version of a serial which means it has plenty of cliff hangers though requires a few plot summary title cards throughout to explain the rather jumbled plot.

If you can get over the geographical nonsense, plot that is all over the place and dated stereotypes it isn't a bad adventure film. Tarzan is more "civilised" than in some other films though still looks the part and can swing from trees!

The Face of Fu Manchu (1965)

The most evil man in the world Fu Manchu (Christopher Lee) is executed in China but his eternal foe Nayland Smith (Nigel Green) is soon suspicious that Fu Manchu is still alive after all...

Indeed he is and after the ultimate poison distilled from a rare flower found in Tibet. Professor Muller (Walter Rilla) has been working on the poison and he is captured by Fu Manchu. He is forced to complete his work on the poison after his daughter Maria (Karin Dor) is also captured and threatened by Fu Manchu with an awful death...

With the help of Muller's assistant Carl Jannsen (Joachim Fuchsberger) and Petrie (Howard Marion-Crawford) - though he seems more a hindrance than a help - Nayland Smith battles to stop Fu Manchu killing everyone in London...

It is all a load of tosh obviously but glorious tosh! Christopher Lee is terrific as Fu Manchu along with his merciless daughter Lin Tang (Tsai Chin). The film has plenty of action and also plenty of pseudo oriental nonsense. If you don't take it seriously then the film is great fun.

A Man Betrayed (1936)

Frank Powell (Edward Nugent) has been selling shares in a new oil field. He finds out that his company is not really drilling for oil but instead has lost the money. His boss William Carlton (John Hamilton), overcome with remorse, commits suicide but his henchmen use their gangland connections to make it look like murder...

Frank is framed for the murder but manages to escape from the law. Assisted by his preacher brother Curtis (Lloyd Hughes) he sets out to clear his name. That's when the film really gets going and the action is thick and fast... and also sometimes confusing. Frank comes across as rather naive and wet but preacher Curtis is handy with his fists!

Not a bad little crime caper. The film, although fairly short, has plenty of strange tangents including one where Curtis has to fight in a boxing match in order to get help from some gangsters! Of course the guy Curtis is to fight is the man of the gangsters who framed Frank...

The Golden Eye (1948)

One of the last few Charlie Chan films (who by now is being played by Roland Winters). An interesting enough mystery though you get a sense of fatigue in the series by now.

Charlie is called in to help a mine owner Mr Manning (Forrest Taylor) who is in danger. The mine, supposedly all spent, is also producing a mysteriously large amount of ore. Manning is badly injured in an accident and Chan (who is posing as a curio trader) investigates the case for Manning's daughter Evelyn (Wanda McKay).

Chan is helped (in theory) by his Number Two son Tommy (Victor Sen Yung) and chauffeur Birmingham (Mantan Moreland). The police in the form of Lt. Ruark (Tim Ryan) is also on the case.

As a mystery it is fairly serviceable. Winters didn't have the same spark as the earlier actors who played the role and the film lacks the wit of earlier entries in the series. The story plods somewhat but has some surprises in store for the patient.