Tue 10 Apr 2018
Movie Review: HONG KONG CONFIDENTIAL (1958).
Posted by Steve under Reviews , Suspense & espionage films[9] Comments
HONG KONG CONFIDENTIAL. United Artists, 1958. Gene Barry, Beverly Tyler, Allison Hayes, Ed Kemmer, Michael Pate, Philip Ahn. Director: Edward L. Cahn.
The only reason I can suggest to you as to why you might want to see this poor excuse for an espionage thriller is the presence of Allison Hayes, she of the slinky pantsuit and the deliciously arched eyebrows. Unless, of course, you’re a Gene Barry fan, in which you will not want to miss him doing a song and dance routine in his alter ego role as a nightclub performer.
The plot, a threadbare one to say the least, has to do with the kidnapped son of the leader of the ruler of a small Arab nation in the Mideast where the Russians are stirring up trouble. How secret agent Casey Reed (Barry) connects up that essence of story with a cheap gang of gold smugglers in Hong Kong is something I seemed to have missed. Luckily for those of us still watching, Allison Hayes is Casey’s contact person with gang of thieves, much to dismay of Beverly Tyler, who plays Casey’s piano player and who is not so secretly in love with him.
This is one of those sadly inadequate movies in which a narrator is needed to pitch in and help cover up the gaps between scenes, doing his best to explain what Casey is thinking every step of the way as he tries to work his way into the gang’s good graces.
While I can’t otherwise recommend this movie, I did watch it all the way through, and that’s a fact. I wish I could say more, but this shorter than usual review will have to do.
April 11th, 2018 at 8:06 am
You gave this flick what it deserves, Steve. Edward L. Cahn is well known (in some circles) as a director who did one very fine film and a lot of dreck. Some of the dreck is enjoyable, but mostly it’s just dreck.
Glad you gave Allison Hayes her due. Truly a giant in the Bad Film Industry.
April 11th, 2018 at 9:53 am
I used to enjoy watching Gene Barry in BAT MASTERSON and BURKE’S LAW. But, as you point out, Barry starred in a lot of Bad Movies.
April 11th, 2018 at 3:51 pm
Of course it also has Ed Kemmer who was Commander Buzz Cory on Space Patrol. Sometimes a film is worth watching only for who is in it.
April 11th, 2018 at 4:52 pm
Yes, you’re quite right. Not only that but all of the actors and actresses in this movie performed better than the storyline did, and should be commended for that. A professional job by all.
April 11th, 2018 at 4:58 pm
Cahn was a hugely prolific director of mainly low budget films.
Many are awful – but some are good. I liked:
Emergency Call (my favorite)
Radio Patrol;
Bad Guy;
Destination: Murder;
Creature with the Atom Brain;
It! The Terror from Beyond Space,
The Police Dog Story;
You Have to Run Fast
April 11th, 2018 at 5:46 pm
In addition to law and order with Walter Huston, and Emergency Call as Mike noted, Cahn was at MGM in the forties and made several reasonable, near big time pictures. Of these, I liked, or wanted to like, dangerous partners with James Craig and Signe Hasso. They did not keep him around for no reason, so at some point later in his career he seemed to have opted for, was presented with, only the least expensive and most exploitable low grad projects imaginable. Nevertheless, strong working actors were always willing to sign up. On the other hand, why shouldn’t they. If a plumber walks into your house he doesn’t walk out because your living room furniture offends his sensibility. He does the job, takes his fee.
April 11th, 2018 at 6:53 pm
Barry nailed it, this was a take the money and run movie, and the pros hit their marks, say the words, and go home.
April 12th, 2018 at 10:15 am
Cahn managed to get professional, often lively performances from his casts, over a thirty year career. This suggests he can be regarded as a decent, reasonably good director of actors. He is not a director of legendary skill with actors on the order of Cukor, Borzage or Lubitsch. But he is pretty good all the same.
November 23rd, 2020 at 3:29 pm
The movie per se is not good. Gene Barry is.