Rome Express (1932)

An enjoyable crime caper on board a cross-Europe express.

A group of passengers are heading off on a train in Paris for a trip to Rome. They are a motley collection of characters, including an adulterous couple, a film star trying to escape the limelight and a French police inspector. 

Aboard is a valuable painting which is stolen, this leads to murders (though not until some way into the film). There are, of course, many suspects! 

This is a fun film that takes place almost entirely on board the moving train. Neat little camera tricks and editing adds to the interest, though sometimes is a little too cute for it's own good. Conrad Veidt is excellent as the main baddie, exuding menace. Also good in the film is Gordon Harker as a very annoying man.

Speedtrap (1977)

If you like seeing 1970s cars race around and crash, you are in luck.

A string of car thefts, by a mysterious and highly skilled driver who uses a box of electronic tricks to foil the police, is putting Captain Hogan (Morgan Woodward) under pressure. To his dismay, a private investigator is bought in to help. 

Pete Novick (Joe Don Baker) has a bit of a reputation, and a large collection of speeding tickets. He is paired up with one of his ex-s Nolan (Tyne Daly) and begins to unravel a complicated and dangerous plot involving the mob...

A great 1970s piece of car chasing trash. It doesn't really work that well as a crime movie due to the the often confusing plot and meaningless filler. However, for car chases and frequent crashes, plus some cop action it is very enjoyable.

Murder by Invitation (1941)

Played light, maybe too light as it is frequently ridiculous, but this is yet another dark house murder mystery... and its pretty good!

Wealthy aunt Cassandra (Sarah Padden) sees off an attempt by her relatives to have her declared mentally incompetent so they can get their hands on her cash. She invites them to spend the night at her isolated country house. When one of them is murdered, radio reporter Bob White (Wallace Ford) comes in to investigate. 

More murders take place in a house riddled by hidden passages and tunnels. One of the relatives is suspected to be the culprit (though the field is gradually being narrowed down), while Bob and his assistant Nora (Marian Marsh) are struggling to work out what is going on amid all the nonsense and red herrings, Aunt Cassandra has a cunning plan...

This is objectively not a good film, it is a bit too chaotic and many of the actors mill around without much to do (and not doing that well). However, i loved it! It is a fun film, the goofiness makes it hard to take seriously as a crime drama, but if it is approached with an open mind then it certainly is entertaining.

Cuban Rebel Girls (1959)

A mysterious piece of sometimes sleazy propaganda that was Errol Flynn's final film.

Errol Flynn heads over to Cuba to be a war correspondent documenting Fidel Castro's revolution against Batista. An American girl (Beverley Aadland) heads to Cuba to join her boyfriend who is fighting for Castro. Flynn follows her and other teenage girls fighting for Castro...

This is a very strange and poor little film, the fact it exists seems very strange these days and was probably a bit odd back then too. The production values are very cheap, the film looks more like a grainy home movie and often is pretty tawdry, along with the obvious propaganda.

Worth watching for the curiosity value only to be honest.

Stingray (1978)

Hapless hoodlums desperately try to get their loot back which has been hidden in a hot (in more ways than one) car...

Drug dealers Tony (Bert Hinchman) and Lonigan (William Watson) kill two cops who try to frame them and hide a stash of cash and drugs in a Stingray that is on sale on a used car lot (well why not?) 

After they link up with their violent boss Abigail (Sherry Jackson) - who is also dressed as a nun - they discover the car has been sold to Elmo (Les Lannom) and Al (Christopher Mitchum). Soon, a mad chase is going on as both the police and the criminals are after them...

This is an enjoyable watch, its a bit of a romp with plenty of car chases, violence and comedic nonsense. Fast moving, especially in the Stingray, and quite ridiculous but a lot of fun.