Not exactly a departure for Tod Slaughter, who carved an entire career out of playing the same kind of Victorian villain, but if you're a fan of his hammy, over-the-top acting, this one will definitely keep you happy, the star leering menacingly and cackling with glee as if his life depended on it.
This time around, Slaughter plays a ruthless criminal called The Tiger, who garottes anyone who gets in his way. As is fairly standard for a Slaughter character, The Tiger takes a shine to a pretty young woman, singer May (Marjorie Taylor), and concocts a devious plan to get her in his arms, in this case starting with framing her fiancé Robert Brierly (John Warwick) for forgery. When he is eventually released from jail on a 'ticket of leave', Robert pretends to be May's brother and finds employment at a bank, but finds his life further complicated by The Tiger, who is planning to rob the bank, and who has been trying to worm his way into May's affections.
I've not seen all of Slaughter's films (I'm working on it), but The Tiger has got to be one of the actor's most malicious and cunning creations, cleverly avoiding capture at every turn, at least until the end, where a silly mistake leads him into a trap. In typical Slaughter fashion, the villain winds up holding everyone at gunpoint, but slips and falls into an empty grave, breaking his neck. It's predictable nonsense, for sure, but the star's maniacal performance once again ensures that it's a lot of fun.
6.5/10, rounded up to 7 for the hilarious stereotypical Jewish forger Melter Moss (Frank Cochran) - Oy, oy, what a shemozzle!
This time around, Slaughter plays a ruthless criminal called The Tiger, who garottes anyone who gets in his way. As is fairly standard for a Slaughter character, The Tiger takes a shine to a pretty young woman, singer May (Marjorie Taylor), and concocts a devious plan to get her in his arms, in this case starting with framing her fiancé Robert Brierly (John Warwick) for forgery. When he is eventually released from jail on a 'ticket of leave', Robert pretends to be May's brother and finds employment at a bank, but finds his life further complicated by The Tiger, who is planning to rob the bank, and who has been trying to worm his way into May's affections.
I've not seen all of Slaughter's films (I'm working on it), but The Tiger has got to be one of the actor's most malicious and cunning creations, cleverly avoiding capture at every turn, at least until the end, where a silly mistake leads him into a trap. In typical Slaughter fashion, the villain winds up holding everyone at gunpoint, but slips and falls into an empty grave, breaking his neck. It's predictable nonsense, for sure, but the star's maniacal performance once again ensures that it's a lot of fun.
6.5/10, rounded up to 7 for the hilarious stereotypical Jewish forger Melter Moss (Frank Cochran) - Oy, oy, what a shemozzle!