Although the film has Boris Karloff in it, he is not the star. Jack Holt stars in the movie though today few would recognize this star of the 1920s and 1930s. He died relatively young and his son, Tim, is more well known today.
The film begins with Holt and Karloff in prison and they are talking about getting out--Holt is planning on breaking out and Karloff says he has some friends who will get him out, but is a bit evasive about what this means. A bit later, you see Holt pretending to escape--he apparently is some sort of government agent. Here is the crazy part--to make it look more realistic, he actually shoots himself in the arm in a scene that is a bit hard to watch. A short time later, Holt is able to insinuate himself into a criminal gang, as they buy his story about the escape. It seems that Holt's job is to infiltrate the gang headed by the mysterious 'Mr. X'! For the most part, this is a mindless sort of adventure film--the sort that makes no sense but has one crazy cliff-hanger sort of scene after another. It makes for a brainless but interesting sort of movie--the sort that kids at the time would have liked and parents would have tolerated (or at least tried). When seen today, however, I can't see anyone particularly enjoying this tripe--especially since Karloff lovers like myself just won't get enough of the actor's performance to make it worth our time. Cheap and silly--with little to recommend it.
The film begins with Holt and Karloff in prison and they are talking about getting out--Holt is planning on breaking out and Karloff says he has some friends who will get him out, but is a bit evasive about what this means. A bit later, you see Holt pretending to escape--he apparently is some sort of government agent. Here is the crazy part--to make it look more realistic, he actually shoots himself in the arm in a scene that is a bit hard to watch. A short time later, Holt is able to insinuate himself into a criminal gang, as they buy his story about the escape. It seems that Holt's job is to infiltrate the gang headed by the mysterious 'Mr. X'! For the most part, this is a mindless sort of adventure film--the sort that makes no sense but has one crazy cliff-hanger sort of scene after another. It makes for a brainless but interesting sort of movie--the sort that kids at the time would have liked and parents would have tolerated (or at least tried). When seen today, however, I can't see anyone particularly enjoying this tripe--especially since Karloff lovers like myself just won't get enough of the actor's performance to make it worth our time. Cheap and silly--with little to recommend it.