Dynamite Dan

The real attraction to a film like this is Boris Karloff - his name still holds clout! Anyone that gets intrigued by him and his films will want to see Karloff in more film roles - that is the reason I watched this film. Sadly, Karloff's part is small in this one.

The only other reason to watch this film is to view another silent comedy film. Boris Karloff and Silent Films - that it. The story is so-so. It's all that great and the comedy is not all that funny - even for it's time era. With all that said, I'm not completely disappointed making the decision to watch this film. It's a refreshing change.

It's a sports (boxing) comedy film - good for a couple of giggles here and there but that's about it. It's a movie that's easily passed up by Karloff's fan (due to his small role) and silent film buffs alike.

5/10

Dynamite Dan (1924)

** (out of 4)

Dan (Kenneth MacDonald) knocks out the foreman (Boris Karloff) at his workplace so the foreman accuses him of stealing money from the company safe. Dan takes off to visit his girlfriend when they're attacked by a man who Dan eventually knocks out with a single punch. A boxing manager see this and signs him up. This is an extremely dull silent that seems to run way too long even at 61-minutes. MacDonald is rather bland as the hero and Diana Alden isn't any more interesting as his lover. Karloff is only in a few scenes but it was rather funny seeing him look so young.

I agree with the other reviewers that the print quality is not very good. There are lots of projector lines and the black and white is faded. However, I disagree about the quality of the film. It is a good adventure story with a lot of cute comedy that silent film fans can enjoy.

The plot has Dynamite Dan (Kenneth MacDonald)as a workman accused of a robbery actually committed by the Foreman (Boris Karloff). Dan escapes, but is hunted by a comical detective, Sherlock Jones (Eddie Harris) who has just gotten his detective's license from a correspondence school. Dan visits his girlfriend Helen Havens (Diana Alden) at her girl's college. He gets a job as a physical education instructor. There are a comical scenes involving the co-eds in this part of the film. He gets fired and ends up as a professional boxer. While building his boxing career, he sends his girlfriend Helen to get a job near his old workplace so she can find out who actually did the robbery. In the last reel, Dan has to fight a gangster, Brute Lacy, for the championship and save his gal from the clutches of Boris Karloff.

Kenneth MacDonald makes for a handsome and athletic looking nice guy hero. He does beat up on little Eddie Harris, the silly detective, a few times, almost bullying him, but the detective is annoying and probably deserves some of it. MacDonald starred in over two dozen films from 1923 to 1927 and then disappeared. This is the only film of his to be released on DVD, I believe, and we should thank Alpha Video for that. It would be nice to have more of his movies out to see how he does in other pictures. He is appealing in this film.

This movie was on a 20 film box set of Boris Karloff films released by Alpha. I found it for $2.99 at a video store. On the one hand, Karloff fans may be disappointed that he is basically only in the first and last 10 minutes of the 60 minute film. On the other hand, I think they will be happy to see Karloff so young, age 33, and acting with the same sinister, but charming, style that we are used to.

While not a classic, the film is nicely written, acted and edited. If you like the magic of silent films and want to see Karloff eight years before he played Frankenstein, you should enjoy the hour.

Dynamite Dan is a poorly-acted, unfunny comedy. The only attraction is a very young Boris Karloff, but his role is small. The plot is unbelievably stupid and trite. There is a wimpy amateur detective known as Sherlock Jones (groan!) who spends the entire movie being kicked, beaten, thrown around, locked in a gym locker, and having his hat pulled down over his eyes. There is an ugly woman who elicits the same horrified, exaggerated reaction from every man who sees her and this gag is used about a dozen times! There is a bit about a ladder being moved to a different window which is also used multiple times. The movie is only 57 minutes in length, but I couldn't wait for it to get over!

I watched an Alpha Video DVD of this movie. Alpha Video isn't known for high quality DVDs, but this one is really atrocious. The quality of the picture is so poor as to be barely discernible during some scenes. I only paid $5 for the DVD, but it was still a complete waste of money! Avoid this DVD at any cost!