Crime Story (1993)

A tough police drama, but quite unlike most Jackie Chan films.

Jackie Chan is a police inspector tasked with protecting a controversial businessman who fears he will be kidnapped. The businessman is indeed kidnapped for a huge ransom after a thrilling chase around HK island involving Chan. 

Chan leads the case to track down the kidnappers who are thought to be in Taipei. Chan is accompanied by experienced detective Hung (Kent Cheng). However, unknown to the police Hung is part of the kidnap plot...

A cool and stylish and pretty violent film. Unlike most Jackie Chan actions films, including the iconic Police Story series, there isn't the high octane slapstick action humour. There are some incredible stunts though. There is also a chance for Jackie Chan to do some serious acting too. A really great film.

The Seven-Ups (1973)

An excellent hard-hitting early 1970s crime drama.

Buddy (Roy Scheider) leads a controversial squad in the NY Police which isn't averse to using dirty tricks and bending the rules to get an arrest. However, someone is kidnapping mobster bosses for ransom. When the mob kidnap one of Buddy's squad thinking he is involved things get tense. When the poor policeman is shot by accident by Moon (Richard Lynch), things fly out of control. How is Buddy's childhood friend Vito (Tony Lo Bianco) involved?

Early 1970s New York is grubby, decaying and dangerous. It is often very violent too with life being pretty cheap. A good story punctuated by some excellent action pieces including a thrilling car chase.

Range Riders (1934)

A run-of-the-mill Western. 

An old rancher (Horace B Carpenter) is being terrorised by a gang of rogues led by Bull Crawford (Lew Meehan). He calls on his son Dick (Buddy Roosevelt) to tackle them. Dick is outnumbered of course so has to use some trickery as well, including some disguises including being a fop, as the usual solid horsemanship and gunplay.

There isn't a lot to this film, having quite a limited running time and not the most original of plots plus some rather indifferent acting. This is a film with a very small budget and unfortunately it does show. Mysteriously Crawford is played by a different (unnamed) actor for the first half of the film. Barbara Starr plays the love interest.

Dick Barton: Special Agent (1948)

Completely over-the-top tosh but glorious with it.

Dick Barton (Don Stannard) has come to the countryside where he battles an evil Nazi plot led by Schuler (Arthur Bush) to poison London's water supply with a deadly bacteria. 

Barton has discovered the plot by accident when some lobsters are delivered to him by accident by a distracted boy who is more interested in his Dick Barton comic! Schuler and his inept goons try to kill Barton a number of times but fail miserably. Finally, Barton is locked in a suit of armour while the Nazis prepare to test their bacteria on him...

Based on a popular BBC radio drama, this is an enjoyable romp. Fast moving nonsense that shouldn't be taken seriously, though it is maybe a little too comedic at times. Snowey (George Ford) and Jock (Jack Shaw) are there to help/hinder Barton in equal measure.

Amsterdamned (1988)

A great title, a great premise and indeed a great film.

A maniac in a wet suit is killing people in Amsterdam with a rather large knife and using the city's extensive canal network to get away. The police force's top man Eric Visser (Huub Stapel) is on the case though doesn't really have much to go on in the way of any leads except maybe the perpetrator can swim. 

He hooks up with Laura (Monique van der Ven) who has something to do with a diving club but mostly because he fancies her. With the government putting the police under pressure as the victims start to mount up, it seems Laura might have some idea that her therapist friend Martin (Hidde Maas) is the killer, or is he?

The police work is rather haphazard and the film does meander at times but this is overall a very solid crime / slasher horror drama with some superb action set pieces including an incredible speed boat chase through the canals of Amsterdam. The ending is rather bleak and abrupt but it suits such a bloody and gruesome film.