A hysterical twist in this convoluted but frequently enjoyable grade B thriller involving the theft of a brief case that contains secret papers, and what happens when the crook (Jack Hogan) tries to sell them back to the briefcase's guardian (June Kenney). She's been holding onto it for boyfriend John Baer who had just said goodnight before cat burglar Hogan broke in. He has some amusing conversations with salty landlady (the fabulous Billie Bird!), and desperate to get rent money, resorts to blackmail.
At just over an hour, this complex crime drama has enough twists and turns to confuse and amuse. Made for an independent division of United Artists that produced a dozen or so of these, equally action packed and thrilling (if too easily wrapped up), definitely secondary features that could easily have been dramatic TV specials, made almost a decade before the movie of the week was created. Decent performances by non-stars, interesting in spite of the complexity, and good for a thrill or two, but definitely not classics. Bird walks off with the film, just as she would do when John Hughes hired her regularly over two decades later. Make that Bird and the jazzy musical theme.
At just over an hour, this complex crime drama has enough twists and turns to confuse and amuse. Made for an independent division of United Artists that produced a dozen or so of these, equally action packed and thrilling (if too easily wrapped up), definitely secondary features that could easily have been dramatic TV specials, made almost a decade before the movie of the week was created. Decent performances by non-stars, interesting in spite of the complexity, and good for a thrill or two, but definitely not classics. Bird walks off with the film, just as she would do when John Hughes hired her regularly over two decades later. Make that Bird and the jazzy musical theme.