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.

Pharaoh's Curse (1957)

A rather dull mummy's curse film, although not without interest.

Captain Storm (Mark Dana) is sent out to reach a team of Egyptologists during a time of revolt in colonial Egypt. The team encounter a strange Egyptian woman called Simira (Ziva Rodann) who doesn't seem bothered by the relentless desert heat and keeps talking in riddles. At the tomb, Quentin (George Neise) opens a tomb and unwittingly releases an ancient evil spirit who begins to kill the party one by one, draining the blood of it's victims...

The film has problems. The story is not that original and moves rather slowly, plus does not have the largest of budgets. However, the film does have some good creepy moments and Rodann was excellent (if a bit campy) as the mysterious Simira.

Guns (1990)

A brash action drama involving many women in skimpy outfits with big busts and bigger guns.

Crime boss Jack of Diamonds (Erik Estrada) orders a hit on DEA agent Donna (Dona Speir), though a mix-up by the assassins who were in drag (honestly!) results in another woman being killed. Donna discovers that the crime boss is the man who killed her father, and he has also kidnapped her mother so there is plenty at stake...

This film is by Andy Sidaris and so you know it will be an action romp which makes little sense. We have the drag queen assassins as mentioned earlier, an interrogator who does magic tricks while interviewing captured gang members and even an attack by ninjas! The film is tremendous fun and highly enjoyable.

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.