The Fuzz (1972)

A grubby but fun early 1970s crime drama, maybe a little too much fun.

A police precinct in Boston is grappling with a rather awful case of two kids who are setting tramps on fire (so usual stuff then) when they receive a phone call threatening to kill local politicians unless the city stumps up with a lot of cash. When a police commissioner is shot dead, the police including Detectives Carella (Burt Reynolds) and McHenry (Raquel Welch) now know this is a real threat. The search is on for the mysterious bald, deaf man (Yul Brynner) who seems to be behind it...

A gritty and chaotic film, reflected in the police station itself as the police wrestle with a complicated case working around a couple of wisecracking redecorators who drip paint everywhere. The police are often shown to be a bit inept, and there is a lot of comedy in this film. There is maybe a little too much goofiness to suit the seriousness of the crimes but this is an enjoyable watch.

Escape from San Quentin (1957)

A tense prison break drama.

Gruber (Richard Devon) persuades fellow con Gilbert (Johnny Desmond) to help him break out of San Quentin, Gilbert is vital to the plan as it involves using a plane to fly out of the prison and Gilbert is a pilot. 

The plan succeeds but now the escaped convicts face difficulty in getting their hands on Gruber's hidden stash of loot. Gilbert though is more interested in getting to talk to his estranged wife, soon his sister-in-law (Merry Anders) is dragged into their escape with both the police and the mob after them...

A good film with Noir touches, the actual prison break itself only takes up a small part of the film, most of it is taken up with the convicts on the run. This can drag a bit but the menace and violence of the mobsters keeps you interested.

Thunderbolt (1929)

A good early talkie with some tasty gangster nonsense.

Notorious gangster Thunderbolt (George Bancroft) is wanted by the police, they put the squeeze on his moll Ritzie (Fay Wray) but she won't give him up. In fact, she doesn't really care about him anymore, she is more interested in her her new, and law abiding, lover Bob (Richard Arlen). 

Eventually, Thunderbolt is captured by the police and faces the death penalty but Bob is also put in gaol after being framed, now Thunderbolt seeks to kill Bob while he has the chance...

Early talkies can often be a bit of a chore due to the awkwardness of the actors trying to adapt to the new style, there is a little bit of that here but overall the cast do a good job, Wray especially is excellent. There is a superb scene in a night club too with some decent singing and a bit of fighting. We also get a rather adorable performing dog. An enjoyable film.

Hi-Jacked (1950)

An inoffensive decent little crime drama.

A gang are hi-jacking trucks and stealing the loads, one of these trucks is being driven by Joe (Jim Davis) when he falls for the old broken down car trick.

Unfortunately, Joe has a record so he is suspected by the police of being involved. These suspicions are fuelled when Joe is framed into driving a load of contraband. He sets out to catch the real criminals, and save his marriage to Jean (Marcia Mae Jones)...

This is a reasonable if unexceptional B-movie. The story is not very original and the performances a bit flat. It passes the time but not much more.

The Notorious Lone Wolf (1946)

The Lone Wolf continues, with a new face.

The Lone Wolf, Michael Lanyard (now played by Gerald Mohr) has returned from the war and immediately gets drawn into a plot to steal a valuable diamond. Inspector Crane (William B Davidson) naturally thinks Lanyard and Jameson (Eric Blore) stole the gem - Crane is quite an unimaginative detective to be honest as he always thinks Lanyard is behind all gem thefts, maybe he thinks he will get it right finally. The gem was stolen from a dancer who was wearing it, the dancer being murdered. Lanyard must track down the gem and the murderer...

The Lone Wolf series was just starting to run out of steam by now. Post-war, these kinds of bright and breezy B-movies were starting to look a bit dated in the coming age of the Noir, however Mohr slightly refreshes the role. The rest of the Lone Wolf formula is there and this is a good, if unexceptional, entry in the series.

Alibi for Murder (1936)

A 1930s B-movie about a private detective and reporter who is (yes you guessed it) sassy and wise-cracking!

Perry (William Gargan) is trying to interview a reclusive scientist, while he is at the scientist's home trying to get to see him a shot is heard and the scientist is found dead. The murdered man's secretary Lois (Marguerite Churchill) helps Perry try and unravel a complicated case involving business rivals, military secrets and anti-war sentiment...

This is a typically fast moving crime drama with plenty of suspects and red herrings before we get to the final act and a fairly ingenious murder method. The plot is a bit hard to follow at times though but it doesn't really spoil the enjoyment that much. 

One interesting part of the film is early on when we see the scientist Stava (Egon Brecher) arrive back in the USA from Europe on the Hindenburg zeppelin!

Million Dollar Weekend (1948)

A neat little crime drama with some good twists.

Nick (Gene Raymond) has run off with a million dollars worth of bonds, he is joined on his flight by Cynthia (Osa Massen) who is on the run after killing her husband (accidentally but the slimy Alan (Francis Lederer) is blackmailing her). Once they get to Honolulu, Nick is forced to join up with Cynthia after Alan discovers Nick's secret and decides those bonds are a more lucrative prize and heads off back to the mainland with them. Now Nick and Cynthia desperately try and hunt Alan down in San Francisco...

An enjoyable film that has a bit of a Noir touch but only just enough to give the film a little extra bite. The story is involving and the leads give some good performances. A modest film maybe but certainly more than the sum of it's parts. A film that is well worth checking out.

The Case Against Brooklyn (1958)

A tough crime drama with a definite Noir feel.

With unlicensed bookmakers operating in the city, the feeling is that the police are on the take. The DA sends a rookie cop in to investigate. Pete (Darren McGavin) is unknown and keen, but hurled into a very dangerous situation with ultimately deadly consequences. 

Pete thinks recently widowed Lil Polumbo (Margaret Hayes) is the key to getting the evidence that the local police are in the bookies' pocket but he really needs to be wary of her friend Franklin (Warren Stevens)...

A great example of a late Noir. The villains are ruthless and deadly, willing to resort to anything to keep their racket going. The plot is fast moving and the film is well performed. A great watch.

Boston Blackie Goes Hollywood (1942)

Part of the long-running Boston Blackie series, the usual frantic goings on but this time in Tinsel town.

Blackie (Chester Morris) and the Runt (George E Stone) are about to head off to Florida when Blackie receives a call for help from a fellow ex-criminal (or is he?) Arthur (Lloyd Corrigan) asks Blackie to take $60K from his safe in New York and take it over to California. 

Somehow this is mixed up with the theft of a valuable diamond, Inspector Farraday (Richard Lane) of course thinks Blackie has stolen the diamond and so follows Blackie to California and gets mixed up in a complicated tale of blackmail and stolen goods...

Still early in the series but the series is now hitting high gear. A fast-paced story with plenty of swerves and action packed into a short running time. Good humour and performances add to make this an excellent film.

The Unholy Night (1929)

An early talkie, and an early dark house mystery. 

After an attempt on the life of Lord Montague (Roland Young), he discovers that some of his former army comrades have been killed. He calls his other army comrades to his home, with the police overseeing, to try and find out who was behind the attacks. The daughter (Dorothy Sebastian) of a disgraced former officer turns up, warning of bad things going to happen and a big legacy. Bad things indeed do happen as the officers start to get bumped off one by one...

While the sound and dialogue can be awkward at times (like most early talkies), this is a fun little drama. It has plenty of sudden screams and a spooky atmosphere, Oriental mystery, plenty of odd goings on and Boris Karloff chewing the scenery as a sinister Turkish lawyer.

The Mad Bomber (1973)

A pretty brutal and also rather good 1970s cop drama.

Distraught over the death of daughter, Dorn (Chuck Connors) begins a bombing campaign to blow institutions (including his daughter's ex-school) he blames for her death. The police are stumped without a clue who the bomber is, however there is a clue. 

During one bombing, a girl at a mental hospital, which is about to be bombed, is raped. Detective Minelli (Vince Edwards) desperately seeks the rapist (Neville Brand) not only for his crimes but also because he might be the only man who can identify the bomber...

A deliciously dark slice of the ultraviolent 1970s which revolves around the broken minds of two criminals, both superbly played by Connors and Brand. A graphic film for sure that maybe could have left a little more to the imagination. Very compelling viewing.

The Lineup (1958)

A tough Noir with some real menace.

The police are battling to stop the smuggling of narcotics, including heroin, into San Francisco. The method used is to dupe or force travellers to bring the drugs into the city when they return from abroad. Dancer (Eli Wallach) and Julian (Robert Keith) are two hoodlums who have turned up in town to retrieve the drugs smuggled in by a group of passengers off a cruise ship. 

All is going smoothly as they work they way through the mules (though a trail of dead bodies is being left behind) until they find drugs hidden in a child'd doll has been lost. The mastermind behind the operation will not be very happy about that...

A great film, the gangsters are psychotic, the people drawn into the smuggling ring are frequently doomed. A violent and dark film that is well worth seeing.

The Lone Wolf in London (1947)

The penultimate film in the long running series.

Two diamonds disappear from a police vault, the police immediately suspect the former jewel thief Michael Lanyard - the Lone Wolf (Gerald Mohr) as they know he is in London, officially doing research for a book he is writing. 

Lanyard is recruited by a member of the aristocracy (Vernon Steele), who is hard up, to sell some jewels for him. Meanwhile, Lanyard is starting to suspect stage star Iris Chatham (Evelyn Ankers) is involved in the diamond robbery, though the police still stubbornly suspect him!

Mohr and Eric Blore as Jamison worked well as a team, though this was the last time they worked together in this series, and the eleventh and final time Blore played Lanyard's assistant. A decent film with the usual fast moving plot and various plot tangents and red herrings. Maybe we have seen it all before (many times) but it is still a good film.

Too Many Winners (1947)

The last Michael Shayne film, though he would return on the small screen in the 1960s. It would be great to say the character ended on a high but...

Michael Shayne (Hugh Beaumont) abandons his planned vacation with Phyllis (Trudy Marshall) to take on a case of counterfeit tickets at a race course. He begins to uncover a case involving murder and blackmail, with Detective Rafferty (Ralph Dunn) on his tail as usual...

This version of Shayne is not as hard boiled as the Lloyd Nolan version, this Michael Shayne is more easy going but maybe that robs this film of a little bite. The film is fast moving but a bit directionless and bland. 

The femme fatale character of Mayme (Claire Carleton) is one of the highlights of the film but she gets killed off too quickly! Not a bad film, watchable but pretty forgettable.

The Third Visitor (1951)

A nice little, if sometimes a bit static, murder mystery.

After Richard Carling (Karel Stepanek) is found dead in his fancy house, Inspector Mallory (Guy Middleton) begins his investigation. There are a number of suspects as Carling was visited by a few people that night, but who was the last person to see him alive. And what is the dark secret behind who Carling really is?

The film can be a bit confusing at times, and also can get bogged down now and then. The story is good though and rewards the viewer's patience at some of the meandering early on as the dark secrets are gradually revealed. Everything comes together in the final act.

Some good performances, especially from Sonia Dresdel, add to the richness of the film. Not perfect but worth watching.

The Day They Robbed the Bank of England (1960)

A great example of the bank robbery film, maybe the ultimate attempted heist!

It is 1901 and the IRA needs money, so they decide the best way is to steal the British gold reserves held in the vault of the Bank of England! They employ Irish-American Norgate (Aldo Ray) to plan and carry out this audacious plan. 

Norgate befriends the captain of the guard at the bank Fitch (Peter O'Toole) to gain access (luckily Fitch is rather naive) to the bank and begins to formulate a plan to access disused drain tunnels under London and then break into the vault from underneath!

Although not an overly thrilling film, without that much action apart from the final act, it is very interesting film to watch. The gathering of information and forming the plan is very well portrayed and thought out.

Sherlock Holmes in Washington (1943)

An exciting spy romp with this version of Sherlock Holmes transplanted into the Second World War.

An agent carrying secret plans across the US goes missing, feared captured by Nazi agents. Sherlock Holmes (Basil Rathbone) and Dr Watson (Nigel Bruce) are sent across to the US capital to investigate. Holmes thinks the plans were hidden by the agent, but their whereabouts is unknown. Can Holmes find the Nazi agents, led by George Zucco, before it is too late?

An excellent entry in the Basil Rathbone Holmes series, Holmes using his deduction skills to find the agents despite the apparent absence of a trail (though to be honest he was lucky with the clue he did get). There is a bit of a wartime propaganda feel, but it does not interfere with a strong story.

A Tattered Web (1971)

A superb TV movie about a good cop's downfall.

Detective Ed Stagg (Lloyd Bridges) dotes on his daughter Tina (Sallie Shockley), and is perturbed when he catches his son-in-law Steve (Frank Converse) messing about with a floozy.

Stagg goes to warn the woman Louise (Anne Helm) off but a fight ensues and he accidentally kills her. Stagg is now desperate to cover things up and not just to protect himself but also Tina as he knows Steve, whom Tina loves deeply, is a prime suspect. How far is he prepared to go?

Quite far indeed, and this is a very enjoyable film with some great performances especially by Bridges. Stagg's downfall from trusted veteran cop is swift and continuous as he tries to make things right, but continually makes it worse. One thing which more could have been made of was the dark past which had given Stagg his demons, it seems a bit bolted on too far into the story to have much impact.

Special Inspector (1938)

An inoffensive quota quickie, though unfortunately a lot of it takes place in the dark.

Someone is hijacking Canadian trucks carrying furs and selling the loot down in the US. US Agent Tom Evans (Charles Quigley) goes undercover as a driver and is soon the victim of another robbery, though somehow Patricia (Rita Hayworth) is involved - but on whose side? 

Tom continues undercover though when his identity is unveiled he, and Patricia, are in big trouble with the mob...

A reasonable film that plods along though not without much purpose or that much excitement. It isn't helped by a lot of the scenes taking place at night and indifferently lit. 

The film is not bad but not much more.

The Caribbean Mystery (1945)

A fast moving crime romp in the swamp.

After the repeated disappearances of oil company prospectors in the swamps of an unnamed Caribbean island, private detective Smith (James Dunn) is bought in to find out what is going on. This is not to the liking of the authorities, who think the men just died of natural causes in the swamp (though we know thats not true). When people aligned with Smith start dying, and Smith himself has attempts on his life, it is clear that something big is going on, and involving buried treasure...

A decent little crime B-movie. Modest but well made and the plot moves swiftly enough to keep your attention. There are plenty of potential suspects and the film manages to keep some good surprises until the end, though the finale is a little rushed. 

An enjoyable film, though the plot is not anything out of the ordinary and indeed is pretty similar to a number of other films but still worth watching.