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.