Tuesday, October 4, 2022

Oriental Evil (1951)

A rather seedy tale of crime in early post-war Japan.

Cheryl (Martha Hyer) arrives in Tokyo intent on clearing the name of her brother who was accused of smuggling and committed suicide. She meets up with Roger (Byron Michie), a suave and very tall Englishman. He agrees to help her find the man who was realy behind the smuggling and Cheryl soon falls in love with him.

Unfortunately Roger is really called Tom and is the man she is looking for. He is a disgraced ex-serviceman involved in black market smuggling and has a Japanese wife whom he treats brutally, usually after he has got drunk yet again. However, Roger/Tom has been marked by fate and his demise is inevitable...

A rather low-rent crime drama, slow moving and can drag at times though is well structured and the mystic element adds a bit of novelty. Its also amusing seeing the very tall Michie have to duck everywhere!