Suspense 20 Pack

I normally shy away from budget-priced DVD "collections" having been bitten more than once from inferior quality copies of movies or plenty of filler titles included with the few I wanted to see. In the case of the Suspense 20 Movie Pack, I can assure you that this is one collection that is well worth the money. The movies all are complete, they all work, and at least half or three quarters of the films included are excellent suspense/film noir movies that you'll enjoy and want to see again.

The movies included are all public domain titles, that for one reason or another had their copyrights lapse, so they are fair game for the companies that specialize in that type of content. What follows is a capsule review, linked to a longer review, if one is available, so you can learn more about a specific title.

British Intelligence An above average spy thriller concerning espionage during the First World War. Great aerial dogfights and a Zeppelin bombardment of London add spice between the espionage segments. Boris Karloff stars amid a bevy of top British talent. Well worth watching.

Suddenly Frank Sinatra portrays a cold-hearted psycho killer who plans to assassinate the President of the United States at a whistle stop in a sleepy California town in this above average thriller. James Gleason adds great support.

Jigsaw Franchot Tone tries to stop a right wing hate group that rules the country, unknown to the government. Interesting paranoid thriller with a bevy of Hollywood stars in cameo roles.

He Walked by Night A great police procedural film noir depicting LAPD’s toughest case. Directed by Anthony Mann and shot by ace cinematographer John Alton, this is one you’ll want to see again and again. Richard Basehart and Scott Brady star.

Sundown A top quality international intrigue film noir concerning gun running in Africa during WWII. Directed by Henry Hathaway, shot by Charles Lang, and starring beautiful Gene Tierney, Bruce Cabot, and George Sanders. This one belongs on the top shelf of your DVD collection.

Dangerous Passage A man has to make it from Honduras to Galveston to claim his $200,000 inheritance. An old tramp steamer seems the fastest way to get there, once he’s involved in murder, but he is stalked by competitors. Stars Robert Lowery and Phyllis Brooks.

Quicksand Well above average film noir showing crime escalates and once started takes on a life of its own. Mickey Rooney in one of his first adult roles does a bang up job, along with Jeanne Cagney as rotten femme fatale and several notable supporting actors make a compelling drama that you’ll want to see again.

Scarlet Street Among the best of the film noir genre, Scarlet Street stars Edward G. Robinson as a mousy clerk who paints as a pastime. On a rare night out from his domineering wife, he saves a damsel in distress from a mugger. The woman (Joan Bennett) notices he is infatuated so she strings him along and he brags about selling his paintings for $50,000 apiece. They begin an affair, and he begins to embezzle money to keep her in style. Little does he know that she has another lover whom she is keeping. There are other twists and turns that will keep you on edge during the entire running time. Directed by Fritz Lang with his typically impressive visual style. A tour de force performance from Edward G. Robinson with great support from Joan Bennett and Dan Duryea.

Eyes in the Night - reviewed by Stephen_Murray An above average detective thriller starring Edward Arnold (The Devil and Daniel Webster) as a blind detective who wrassles as a hobby. Great supporting performance from seeing eye dog Friday. Young Donna Reed and a bevy of fine supporting actors add to the value as does Fred Zinnemann’s direction.

The Man on the Eiffel Tower - reviewed by Stephen_Murray Charles Laughton stars as Inspector Maigret who hunts down the murderer of a wealthy woman and her maid. Franchot Tone stars as Radek, a grand manipulator, and Burgess Meredith, directed, and stars as the man framed for the murders. Faded color.

The Black Book - an interesting dark drama by the team of Anthony Mann and John Alton concerning the French Revolution and the reign of terror, Robespierre, and Danton. Very much in the vein of Mann’s noirs, this is one that is a sleeper. Detective searches for the “Black Book” revealing the death list of Robespierre. Dark and claustrophobic and starring Robert Cummings and Richard Basehart. Not to be missed. AKA “The Reign of Terror.”

They Made Me a Criminal - reviewed by Stephen_Murray stars John Garfield as a boxer, suspected of murder, hiding out from pursuer detective Claude Rains. Directed by Busby Berkley and shot by ace cinematographer James Wong Howe, co-starring Leo Gorcey, Huntz Hall, and the Dead End Kids.

Algiers “Come wiz me to zee Casbah.” Pepe Le Pew, um, Le Moko. Charles Boyer stars in his defining role in this highly entertaining drama of international intrigue. A Parisian jewel thief is hiding in the Casbah and wants to get out; the police want him out, also. Hedy Lamarr and Joseph Calleia add spice to the mix. Well worth your time.

The White Orchid - arguably the worst movie in the 20 pack, this one stars William Lundigan as an explorer/archaeologist in Central America. Good view of the pyramid ruins, if that interests you, but the story is a love triangle between Lundigan, Peggy Castle, and Armando Silvestre. Watch them discover a “lost” civilization in the jungle. Ho hum. Color, 81 minutes.

Port of New York - A young Yul Brynner stars as a drug dealer operating in 50s NYC. Scott Brady is the detective who seeks to take him out. Great George Diskant dark cinematography, and good action Well worth your time. B&W 82 minutes.

Outpost in Morocco Decent foreign legion movie starring George Raft as the legionnaire captain who escorts the emir’s daughter, Marie Windsor, to her home amid rebellion among the Tuaregs. Good action and Marie Windsor is drop dead gorgeous. Worth watching.

Detour “Whichever way you turn, fate sticks out a foot to trip you.” Al Roberts

Piano player Al Roberts (Tom Neal) wants to hitchhike to LA to be with the woman he loves. When his driver dies suddenly of a heart attack along a lonely stretch of highway, Roberts changes places with him, even assuming his identity. He compounds his trouble by picking up a hitchhiker, played by Ann Savage, who turns out to be much more than he can handle. Great dialog and an unhappy ending. Ann Savage’s performance is one of the best in the annals of film noir. Directed by Edward G. Ulmer with a nice score by Benjamin H. Kline.


Jail Bait - reviewed by thing-fish24 A kooky Ed Wood movie about how a gun (jail bait) causes a young man to commit crime. :o Interesting twist ending a la “The Twilight Zone” and a bumblebee buzzing guitar score. I now know where Tarantino got the inspiration for his movie music. You can safely miss this one except you might want to see it once since it is an Ed Wood.

Ransom Money another clunker, this one stars Broderick Crawford as a detective hunting for a kidnapped man. Has one of the most outlandish stories I’ve seen and a few laughs are unintentional, I‘m sure. This one looks like it was made for Mystery Science 3000. In Color, 84 minutes.

The Stranger “To the Germans, the Messiah is not the ‘Prince of Peace,‘ he’s a new Barbarossa, a new Hitler.”

A strange little man comes to a quiet New England town feverishly looking for a former Nazi war criminal. When the new professor invites the stranger for a walk in the woods, we learn he is the man. A Nazi hunter is following and learns the truth but how can he unmask the professor who is well respected and married to the daughter of a Supreme Court Justice? Edward G. Robinson, Orson Welles, and Loretta Young star in this above average movie.

Now, I ask you: where can you get twenty watchable DVDs for eight bucks? This is the sleeper bargain of the decade. What are you waiting for?

Thanks for stopping by!

Recommended:
Yes

Viewing Format: DVD
Video Occasion: Better than Watching TV