Upon returning to England protagonist Hugh 'Bulldog' Drummond sets off for his home in the country. When he is nearly there he almost hits a woman with his car; she apparently faints and he puts her in his car. He then hears gunshots and while he investigates the woman drives off in his car! She doesn't get far though and the car is found by Drummond's butler, Tenny. Her abandoned purse leads them to the house of Norman Merridew where he in informed that the woman, Phyllis Clavering, is being treated for her delusions
she believes Merridew killed her brother and is plotting to steal her inheritance. Drummond is inclined to believe that she is far from delusional and sets out to rescue her and foil the dastardly Merridew's plans with the help of his friend Algy and Tenny. If that wasn't enough excitement Algy is due to become a father at any moment and is desperate to find out if his wife has given birth and if so whether it is a boy or a girl.
As this was my introduction to the world of Bulldog Drummond I can't say how it compares to others in the series or whether it captures the spirit of the books however I can say it was rather enjoyable. There was plenty of drama and the sort of action that can be enjoyed by fans of adventure whatever their age. There were also a good number of laughs to be had; mostly from Algy and Tenny. Ray Milland puts in a decent performance as Drummond although at times his character doesn't seem to be taking the situation as seriously as one might expect. Heather Angel does a great job as Phyllis; vulnerable at times but also showing believable ingenuity at others. The rest of the cast was solid enough especially Porter Hall with a beard like that he had to be a rotter! Overall I'd certainly recommend this to anybody who doesn't think action requires a high body count and exploding helicopters!
As this was my introduction to the world of Bulldog Drummond I can't say how it compares to others in the series or whether it captures the spirit of the books however I can say it was rather enjoyable. There was plenty of drama and the sort of action that can be enjoyed by fans of adventure whatever their age. There were also a good number of laughs to be had; mostly from Algy and Tenny. Ray Milland puts in a decent performance as Drummond although at times his character doesn't seem to be taking the situation as seriously as one might expect. Heather Angel does a great job as Phyllis; vulnerable at times but also showing believable ingenuity at others. The rest of the cast was solid enough especially Porter Hall with a beard like that he had to be a rotter! Overall I'd certainly recommend this to anybody who doesn't think action requires a high body count and exploding helicopters!