Reviews

This is a movie that should have been much better than it was. When I saw the listing of who was in the cast and when I read a brief synopsis of the story, I expected to be royally entertained with a good suspense filled film. I watched about three-fourths of the movie before I gave up. It is very slow moving with virtually no action and a great excess of talk. The overabundance of sub-plots just adds to the plodding nature of the story.

What a piece of teen slasher garbage. A totally forgettable film that contains every single cliche that has ever been used in a film of its' genre. The characters are all there; The wise cracking, obnoxious guys with over active hormones plus the usual assortment of females including one very horny girl, the prim and proper preppy and, of course, the really weird one. One of the reviews on this site compared this film to an Agatha Christie mystery. NO WAY !!! Ms. Christie could write better stuff than this right now, although she's been dead for many years. Unless you are a young teen ager, or have the mentality of one, skip this abomination.

The misadventures of three VMI roommates during the latter part of their final year in school forms the backdrop for a round of typical 1930's type problems, most caused by the devil-may-care attitude of the cadet played by Wayne Morris. The other two roomies are played by Ronald Reagan, who tries very hard to be the voice of reason and Eddie Albert, having problems throughout the entire film. It's kind of fun watching these three get in and out of jams with their superiors. But, one word of caution: If whining annoys you (as it does me)you may have a little problem with Eddie Albert because, except for the very first scenes, his dialog for the remainder of the movie consists of whining that would do a 5 or 6 year old child proud. However, overall, if you want a few laughs and like happy endings, this film is for you....

This is one of those movies which are jammed packed with actors who's names we don't recall but who's faces are very familiar because they appear in so many of these great B movies. About the only well known actors are John Garfield and Victor Jory. This film is about a New York protection racket boss, played by Stanley Fields as somewhat menacing yet also a comic figure. He and two of his henchmen get sent to a local prison on a Hudson River island, where they end-up taking control and have the warden and his staff do their bidding. Garfield plays a crusading crime reporter who arranges to become a prisoner on the island so as to get the goods on the mob. It's great fun with lots of action, laughs, and good solid performances by all parties. You won't take this picture very serious but you will have a lot of fun while watching it.

There's much to enjoy in this very good example of a "B" movie whodunnit. It's fun trying to figure out who the killer is as things move along toward the final climatic scene.

The female writer of a radio series about unsolved crimes makes an on-air announcement that during next week's show she will solve an old murder mystery and expose the murderer on-air. Following along with her as she searches for clues to the murderers identity while two other people also get murdered by the same killer is just plain good old fashioned fun. Enjoy....

Richard Baseheart plays a very stoic and cold blooded killer in this film. Right up until the predictable climax he wins every battle with the police, who are trying to identify and then capture him. The manner in which he keeps eluding his pursuers is just not credible. This is a thoroughly forgettable example of the film noir genre.

This movie was a well written adventure and suspense yarn with a very distinguished cast. However, I feel that the character played by Loretta Young was overemphasized. From the moment that she first enters the story she is in virtually every scene. After awhile it got a bit distracting. She played one of those "won't take no for an answer" types who always gets her way. Despite this annoying characterization, overall i enjoyed the film.

What's not to like in this suspense filled WW II picture. Franchot Tone does some of his best work ever as an allied soldier who finds himself thrust into the position of being a spy. Fortunio Bonanova (my all-time favorite actors' name) plays a somewhat cowardly Italian officer. But, the real star of this show is Erich Von Stroheim who, as Field Marshall Rommel plays the part with his typical style of Prussian arrogance. He is at once both the perfect gentleman yet also an senior officer to be feared by all who surround him. This movie is great fun and I highly recommend it to one and all......

This movie is one of four films starring Margaret Rutherford as Miss Marple. I enjoy all four immensely. It has lots of action, unlike the TV versions of Miss Marple which are laced with nothing but endless reams of boring dialog. It is priceless to watch Ms. Rutherford mounting and riding a horse. As usual, she puts herself in jeopardy at the film's climax to force the murderer into being snared by the long arm of the law. Great fun from start to end.......

This is a movie that does a superb job of building suspense. It has wonderful actors such as E. G. Robinson, Joan Bennett, Raymond Massey, Dan Duryea and other fine supporting actors who work hard at telling a great story. The brilliant musical score helps tell the story and convey the suspense. BUT, after about 95 minutes of brilliance, the movie is ruined by a cop-out, cliche type of ending. Very disappointing. The fine actors who were in this film and the audiences both in the theatres and on TV deserved much more than this "dumb" finale.......

I saw this film on TCM last evening. I had never seen it before. The 59 minute runtime is short but this movie packs quite a lot of entertainment in that short timeframe. Bill Lundigan does a good job in his role as the detective in charge of finding a serial killer who calls himself "The Judge". Lundigan conveys controlled obsession in his quest to apprehend the killer. He also finds a little time to slowly develop a romantic relationship with a female magazine writer who is hot on the trail of a big story about the killings. There is one ridiculous scene where the murderer actually gets in to Lundigan's office and sits motionless in a chair previously occupied by a mock-up dummy of himself. Why a murderer whom the police are combing the city for would want to break into a police detective's office and take a big chance of being caught is never explained. It's rather silly and reminds all who view the film that it's only a movie.....

This is a movie that I have seen on several occasions over the years. Watching it the other evening on TCM was a real joy for me. I'm sorry but I cannot go along with those who seem to be trying to make this movie and the reasons for it's being filmed attributable to some deeper meaning. I've seen comments alluding to Kong as a Christ figure (absurd), and as a metaphor for black slavery (ridiculous). It's simply an enjoyable, well made monster movie. The screaming bit with Fay Wray was definitely overdone as it becomes painfully shrill and cries out for the TV volume to be lowered or muted but, this is merely a small criticism on my part.

I first saw this movie in a theatre at Thule AFB, Greenland in 1961. As long as you are in the mood for good old fashioned escapism and don't take things too seriously you can get lots of enjoyment watching it. The first segment of 15 or 20 minutes is very well done in a straightforward manner. After that it gets a little bit silly. Now a confession - When I first saw the film, I knew that something was not quite right but I did not figure out just exactly what it was until the ending. I can't believe how dumb I was. Oh well !!! BTW, I loved the gimmick of the on-screen clock and the "fright break"........

There is a little bit of something for everyone in this mix of comedy, tragedy, and the bizarre. A highlight for me was the graphic showing of how natives of one island get revenge on sharks, who attack them often, by capturing them, binding their mouths tightly so that they can never eat again, and throw them back into the sea where the sharks will die a slow agonizing death from starvation. It's definitely not for the very young or squeamish. Incidentally, from this movie came the very beautiful Oscar winning song "More".....Who ever would have "thunk" it.

A very dull, hard to follow, and boring movie.In an episode of "Seinfeld", Elaine Benes verbally blasts this movie. She was so right !!!!!

I almost always enjoy "B" movies of the crime genre. They rarely run more than 65 minutes and don't waste time trying to develop detailed and boring character development. This fast paced film had everything from fast car crashes to gunplay. And, BTW, in all of his films, did Ricardo Cortez ever play any type of role other than a criminal? Gunner

One of John Wayne's best. In WW-II our US Marines did themselves very proud at Iwo Jima, Okinawa and other battlegrounds in the South Pacific. This moving film does a good job of capturing the true flavor of the courage and prowess of our fighten men. Gunner

Not a bad way to spend an hour but, don't expect any great acting or a well written plot. As was the norm with Monogram, the film is overloaded with so called "comedy relief". Also, if I was a policeman I would be terribly insulted by the portrayal of cops as unbelievably stupid dolts. Gunner

A good film with lots of those familiar faces (but don't know their names) actors. If, as I do, you enjoy mysteries that take place in spooky old houses, you'll enjoy this one...... Gunner

IMHO this is a vastly underrated film. It has fine acting, particularly by Lionel Barrymore and Jean Hersholt. I have watched this film several times with various friends of mine who were seeing it for the first time and, in every case, they were taken by surprise at the denouement of the mystery. Gunner

A pretty good horror film. The fact that it was made fairly early in the "talkie" era does come through with rather stilted dialog and, unfortunately, no music score to help heighten the suspense. Mary Shelly's book, "Frankenstein" was, IMHO very boring. I personally would not have been interested in seeing a movie that faithfully followed this book. Boris Karloff is excellent as the monster but I tend to get weary of Colin Clive's whining and overacting. Gunner

For some reason, this film is considered a classic. This was adapted from a stage play and it shows. It is very slow moving with most of the sets so dark that the viewer has a difficult time making out the players and scenery. I loved Bela Lugosi in most of his subsequent roles, including those as a Dracula clone, but each time I sit down and try to watch this film I find that it simply cannot hold my attention and I am forced to give up and do something else. Gunner

I really enjoyed this movie. It was unique in that the Vampire had a werewolf as his assistant. This werewolf wears a suit, talks, smiles and, in general, acts like a normal human being. The movie was basically a sequel to Dracula but the vampire played by Bela Lugosi could not use the name Dracula because this was a Columbia picture and Universal Studios had the legal rights to the Dracula character. But, it was still Lugosi at his scary, pompous best.