The Lone Wolf Spy Hunt (1939)

The Lone Wolf (Warren William) is recruited to steal weapon plans by a mysterious gang led by Gregory (Ralph Moran) but when he refuses he is framed anyway. With the help of his girlfriend Val (Ida Lupino) he manages to evade the police though lured by Karen (Rita Hayworth) he is dragged into the plot deeper and deeper.

A cat and mouse game rages as the Lone Wolf Michael Lanyard tries to keep the plans out of the gang's hands and stop the police arresting him - luckily the police as is usual in these films are rather inept!

A fast moving romp with plenty of late 1930s nonsense including a masquerade party where men wear bird's nests and prams on their heads.

The Warriors (1979)

For this blog's three hundredth review another of all our time favourite films...

The Warriors is a bonafide cult classic. A fairly simple tale of a bunch of kids trying to get home with all manner of obstacles thrown up in their path. It is simple but so so cool.

Cyrus (Roger Hill), the head of the biggest gang in NY the Gramercy Riffs, wants to bring all the gangs together to take over the streets. He brings representatives of all the top gangs in the city to a big meeting in the Bronx but in his moment of triumph he is gunned down by the deranged leader of the Rogues, Luther (David Patrick Kelly). In the ensuing chaos the Warriors from Coney Island get the blame. Now Cyrus' gang put the call out, the Warriors are to be found - alive if possible if not... wasted.

The Warriors are a mixed bunch led by Swan (Michael Beck) and with the violence and sex crazed Ajax (James Remar) always in competition. As the Warriors make their way home, dodging various gangs (which include gangs of roller skaters, lesbians and ghost like baseball players), Swan hooks up with Mercy (Deborah Van Valkenburg) who wants something more, she wants something now...

The Warriors finally make their way back to Coney Island, stalked by the Rogues and the Gramercy Riffs. What happens when there is a final showdown?

So it is indeed a very strange film in many ways. The gangs all have their identities and colours, the Warriors themselves wearing rather cute pleather vests, some of the other gangs are completely ridiculous looking. However that adds to the appeal, it is strange and unrealistic.

Backed by an excellent sound track of late 1970s rock and soul this is one of the best films ever made. It is not for the acting which ranges from vague to poor or the story which is pretty much by the numbers but it is the period of time and the style, the sheer craziness of the film and the characters. Some of the Warriors are a little undefined but the main characters certainly are well drawn and you do care about them. The film has a magic that maybe is a little undefinable but is there. Dig it.

Cafe Hostess (1939)

A nicely sleazy noir about hostesses and various crimes in a club. Jo (Ann Dvorak) is a "B girl" (aka a prostitute) in seedy Club 46 which is owned by Eddie Morgan (Douglas Fowley). Jo is a welcoming hostess to guys out of town, keeping them entertained and then picking their pockets. Detective Steve Mason (Arthur Loft) is after Morgan but can't get the evidence he needs...

Sailor Dan Walters (Preston Foster) arrives at the club and falls for Jo (of course). He wants to take her away but Jo knows that escaping her past won't be easy. Dan seems to find out all about Morgan's criminal activities in one night which indicates that Detective Mason is rather poor at his job.

Cafe Hostess is not very original and isn't a bad movie though is a little pedestrian at times. It also falls into melodrama but it does end in an entertaining huge brawl. The most interesting part of the film though was how it fell foul of the censors as it violated the moral codes of the late 1930s.

Dark Alibi (1946)

A bank is robbed and a guard killed, the fingerprints of ex-con Thomas Harley (Edward Earle) are found on the scene and he is arrested and later convicted.

With his execution just days away his desperate daughter June (Teala Loring) calls on Charlie Chan (Sidney Toler) for help. He finds that Harley was living in a boarding house full of potential suspects. Everyone seems rather suspicious and somehow involved. When Chan is shot at he knows he has made the real perpetrator worried.

But surely the fingerprints make it an open and shut case? It seems perfect but Charlie Chan thinks its too perfect...

Charlie Chan is on great form in this film, which is sprinkled with humour especially with his lazy son (Benson Fong) and his chauffeur (Mantan Morland) who make a great double act. There are also many pseudo-Chinese proverbs and philosophy throughout.

White Zombie (1932)

Probably the first full-length zombie film, White Zombie is maybe low on budget but high on weirdness and atmosphere. Neil Parker (John Harron) and Madeleine Short (Madge Bellamy) are an engaged couple due to get married at the home of plantation owner Charles Beaumont (Robert W Frazier) in Haiti. On the way to Beaumont's home they encounter strange men which they are told are zombies...

Beaumont wants Madeleine for himself and resorts to dark magic from Murder the voodoo master (Bela Lugosi) to gain control of her. Yet he finds that Murder's price for the dark arts is very high indeed...

A wonderfully creepy film, the zombie scene in Murder's sugar cane mill is just one of a number of standout scenes. As the zombie slaves carry sugar cane one topples into the mill to be grinded up too, of course the zombies don't even blink! The film was rather cheaply made though with most of the actors being fading silent movie stars, the acting is therefore rather over the top at times however it really adds to the drama in the final act. Lugosi is amazing of course.