Counterspy Meets Scotland Yard (1950)

An excellent early Cold War spy drama. 

After a US agent working at a top secret missile test site mysteriously dies, spy chief Harding (Howard St John) suspects there is a foreign spy ring after US secrets. British agent Langton (Ron Randell) begins to work at the test site to seek out the spies. 

The base secretary Karen (Amanda Blake) comes under suspicion, especially as she has regular meetings with Dr Gilbert (Lewis Martin)...

This is a good film with some interesting scenes, some spy drama brutality and an exploration of the art of international espionage. The spies' identities are kept ambiguous, quite possibly neo-Nazis instead of the Soviets. The post-war paranoia is high, the film is also interesting in using Karen's concentration camp survival as a plot point.

240-Robert (1979)

A feature length pilot for a series about the Los Angeles rescue team (which ran for two seasons).

Deputies Trap (John Perry) and Thib (Mark Harmon) work with the LA sheriff department's rescue team of highly skilled officers who can rescue people underwater, down mountains, perform emergency medical treatment and even arrest people! 

A new helicopter pilot (Joanna Cassidy) joins the team, Trap doesn't seem to like her because she's a girl (and apparently an ex). However, she proves herself and earns Trap's respect by the end of the film, and they all go home happily for tea.

It is all pretty predictable, but well made and enjoyable. We see a series of rescues which do not have much in the way of suspense and tension until the final act when the team are called upon to rescue two people who crashed their car down some cliffs. There isn't a great deal of back story for the characters, the film concentrating on their professionalism and skills instead of any dark secrets or hidden demons they may have. That is fine with me to be honest!

The Brasher Doubloon (1947)

A tasty Marlow case and a decent slice of 1940s Noir.

Private detective Philip Marlow (George Montgomery) is employed by Mrs Murdoch (Florence Bates) to recover a valuable doubloon (which is a coin) which has found it's way into an unscrupulous dealer. Marlow isn't employed to find out who stole the coin though (as only Mrs Murdoch, her wayward son Leslie (Conrad Janis) and the somewhat erratic assistant Merle (Nancy Guild) have access to the safe so it would be a pretty simple investigation), rather he must get the coin back.

But Marlow's investigation is soon getting him involved with shady gangland characters in bad suits, and more than one stiff. Marlow gets interested in Merle but she has some unknown psychological issues, and is being blackmailed by a cameraman...

This is a highly enjoyable film with a tough(ish) and cynical Noir feel. It can be a bit corny but is great fun.

Riding the Edge (1989)

A bit cheesy, it is the 1980s after all, but also a pretty good film.

John Harman (Lyman Ward) is working on a top secret solar energy project in the Sahara. His facility is raided by terrorists who want the revolutionary chip that will change the world. The terrorists want the chips in return for John's safety. They also want his son Matt (Raphael Sbarge) to deliver the chips to them. So begins Matt's adventure who quickly wants to go his own way as he doesn't trust the authorities. He gets help from Maggie (Catherine Mary Stewart) - who just happens to be travelling the desert in a white jeep...

This is a great film underpinned by a straight forward plot and drips with 1980s cheese. The only drawback of the film is the character of Matt who can be unbelievably naive at times, he seems genuinely shocked when Maggie turns out to be a US agent and not a young white woman taking a joy ride across Libya. However, he does have the good luck to find people who speak excellent English no matter how remote he gets in the desert! 

It is a fun film with some good action scenes, recommended.

Torchy Gets Her Man (1938)

A lovely breezy little crime drama, you will have seen it before but not always as well done as this.

A federal agent (William Robertson) arrives at the police HQ after the notorious counterfeiter "100 Dollar" Bill Bailey. Unbeknownst to Detective Steve (Barton MacLane) and the other police, the agent is the real Bill Bailey and has concocted a complicated plan to trick the police into helping him make a killing. 

Steve's reporter girlfriend Torchy (Glenda Farrell) is after a story though but her unauthorised investigations soon put her in harms way...

This is part of the Torchy series and is a bright (ahem) and fast moving crime drama. It is very cosy, quite fun but sometimes a little too silly. The character ensemble is a bit too goofy at times but this is a solid and enjoyable little film.

Death Journey (1976)

The first in a series of blaxploitation films about ex-cop Jesse Crowder, OK but seems to lack a certain something.

Jesse Crowder (Fred Williamson) is hired to escort star witness Finley (Bernie Kuby) from Los Angeles to New York for the trial of a mobster boss. Now of course the simple way would be to just take a flight but instead Crowder decides to drive across the US. 

Almost immediately the mob are after his ass in a seemingly endless series of fights with hapless henchmen. Somehow Jesse manages to get Finley safely across the US, and bed a series of young women (of course!)

The film is what it is, a decent action film with a series of action set pieces and competent if not overly ambitious action choreography. The film is enjoyable, not brilliant. It could do with a bit more pizazz, maybe a bit more 1970s cheese.

Boston Blackie's Chinese Venture (1949)

The fourteenth and final film in the Colombia Boston Blackie series, and another fun tale.

Boston Blackie (Chester Morris) is an obvious murder suspect after the proprietor of a laundry is found dead just after Blackie was seen leaving the premises. However, as Blackie begins to investigate the crime (well officially Inspector Farraday (Richard Lane) is investigating the crime but of course Blackie is the one who does it really!) he begins to uncover an incredibly complicated conspiracy involving smuggled diamonds, fake tours of Chinatown and a movie theatre...

So, this is a fine film with a complicated fast moving plot which packs a lot into an hour long run time. It maybe tries to pack in a little too much perhaps. The fake tour of Chinatown with it's staged "Oriental intrigues" is hilarious.