The 1930s and 40s saw many B-movie series detective films such as Charlie Chan, Sherlock Holmes, The Saint as well as Bulldog Drummond. Oddly, however, the Drummond films were even more prone than most of these films to change leading men. Sure, there were several Charlie Chans, but that was because Warner Olland and Sidney Toler died and had to be replaced. But with the Drummond series, many actors played the lead in only one film--and this is true here, as Ray Milland takes his lone stab at being the title character. While he's pretty good, he's really overshadowed by his supporting cast--and this isn't a bad thing at all. In fact, the overall plot and Milland, while pretty good, are probably the weakest points in the film.
What I loved were the supporting cast and how their characters were written. In particular, I loved Drummond's smart-alleck butler--his lines were very funny and he was a very able assistant. In addition, I REALLY loved the leading lady because for once, she was not a stupid or helpless victim (which is usually the case in the films). Again and again, she behaves very smartly and I couldn't help but admire the film for this. Here are some examples:
When Drummond is fighting with a bad guy, she does NOT just stand there with her mouth wide open doing nothing (the standard response in this type of film), but he shoots or smashes the bad guy over the head!
When they try to drug her, she later spits out the pill and beats the lady taking care of her! Definitely, this dame is an action hero!
When she knocks out a bad guy, she actually stops to pick up and use his gun! In so many films, they knock out a baddie and leave the gun right there--a cliché I truly hate!
In addition to this wonderful woman (who Drummond is smitten with--probably due to her actions), the rest of the cast is excellent. They really help to raise an ordinary film to must-see status for fans of the status.
What I loved were the supporting cast and how their characters were written. In particular, I loved Drummond's smart-alleck butler--his lines were very funny and he was a very able assistant. In addition, I REALLY loved the leading lady because for once, she was not a stupid or helpless victim (which is usually the case in the films). Again and again, she behaves very smartly and I couldn't help but admire the film for this. Here are some examples:
When Drummond is fighting with a bad guy, she does NOT just stand there with her mouth wide open doing nothing (the standard response in this type of film), but he shoots or smashes the bad guy over the head!
When they try to drug her, she later spits out the pill and beats the lady taking care of her! Definitely, this dame is an action hero!
When she knocks out a bad guy, she actually stops to pick up and use his gun! In so many films, they knock out a baddie and leave the gun right there--a cliché I truly hate!
In addition to this wonderful woman (who Drummond is smitten with--probably due to her actions), the rest of the cast is excellent. They really help to raise an ordinary film to must-see status for fans of the status.