Special Investigator

Bill Fenwick (Richard Dix) is a very famous and well-to-do lawyer. However, he's gotten some bad people off and it's bothering his conscience. So, instead of becoming a mouthpiece for the mob, he decides to do something to help others. So, he travels out west and becomes a special undercover agent for the government. Unfortunately, the leader of the mob has a sister who has fallen for 'Richard' (Bill's undercover name). What's to become of the criminals with their fake gold mine as well as 'Bill's' girl?

This is a B-movie from RKO and the studio made quite a few lower-budgeted films starring Richard Dix. While he's pretty much forgotten today, Dix was a fine actor and quite likable--even though he wasn't exactly handsome leading man material. The writing is solid as is Dix's performance. Worth your time.

Back in the days of that mixed metaphor, Radio Pictures, you needn't need much of a premise to make a B movie. In this case, for example, the crooks solve the difficulty of selling stolen gold bullion by palming it off as gold ore. Nobody bothers to ask how that trick is pulled off. Or why no one is suspicious of a gang of out-of-town hoods holed up in an old Nevada mine. But after his kid brother is gunned down by the gang, ex-underworld lawyer Richard Dix turns special investigator and sets out to catch the bad guys. Stolid as ever, Dix manages two expressions -- his mouth creases up slightly when he's happy and down when he's gloomy. Margaret Callahan (who quit acting not long after this movie was made) wanders in as the comely sister of the gunman he's after. Fortunately, the gangsters are played by people with some acting chops -- like J. Carroll Naish as the snarling mob boss and Joseph Sawyer as his most pugnacious thug. And even Jed Prouty is on hand as a doctor-for-hire.

Crafty lawyer Richard Dix just got another criminal off the hook. The judge chews him out for being an enemy to society. When Dix's own brother says that he agrees with the judge, Dix turns thoughtful; when the brother is murdered, Dix suddenly quits his law practice and tells his friends that he is going away. He does a little research then heads to a small Nevada town on the trail of some stolen gold....

Richard Dix is solid as the self-appointed investigator who switches to the side of justice but is not afraid to mix with the crooks. Having heard that the gang is processing their stolen bullion in an old mine and then selling it as ore, he sets up a law office in the nearby town and works on infiltrating their operation.

Strong supporting characters really liven up this well-written adventure. Joe Sawyer is excellent as the tough guy who runs the mine--he wears a ranger hat, talks with his pipe in his mouth, and is suspicious of everyone. J. Carrol Naish is superb as the outfit's big boss--he's been shot and is laid up in bed but manages (barely) to maintain control over his gang. It's a small role but Naish delivers his lines in a terrific Edward G. Robinson snarl. ("Among fighters I was a fighter. But among scum like you, I'm a king.") Margaret Callahan is convincing as Naish's not easily intimidated sister. Having arrived by bus and joined the crooks to tend to her wounded brother, she gets to know Dix as well.

As Dix's investigation moves along, tension among the crooks bubbles, and it all builds to an exciting climax. Overall, this fast paced B adventure packs a lot into an hour. Very good.

Richard Dix plays a lawyer who represents criminals and is quite good at it. When his federal agent brother is killed by gangster J. Carrol Naish, Dix abandons his legal practice and goes undercover to bring down the criminals. But he needs to fall in love, right? Enter Naish's sister (Margaret Callahan). Routine little B crime drama. Dix is his usual square-jawed rugged self. Naish is good as always. Some solid character support from Joe Sawyer and Erik Rhodes. The love story part of the movie is probably the weakest. Seeing Dix flirt is like watching your grandfather breakdance. It's just wrong. It's an ordinary little crime flick. Nothing exceptional but something to pass an hour with.

From a Story by the Seemingly Forever In Print Creator of Perry Mason, Erle Stanley Gardner, this Slightly Above Average B-Movie Stars the also Prolific Richard Dix. With His Square Jaw, Dick Tracy Look and Handsome Ruggedness the Actor Managed to Work for Four Decades.

The Deep-Voiced, One Note Thespian is out to Avenge the Death of His Brother at the Hands of Gangsters and Travels Westward Ho, so much of this Crime Drama takes place at a Ranch and in a Small Dusty Town near Reno.

Things move along quite Nicely with the Tension Halted at Times for some Romance, this is a Not-Bad Entry that just Rises above Pedestrianism because of its Oily Villain, J. Carrol Naish trying to keep His Band of Cutthroats at bay while Bed-Ridden, Creating some much Needed Suspense.

Overall Worth a Watch but there aren't Enough Genre Flourishes in the Film to Amount to much more than a Time-Passer with an Atypical Out West Setting, where Dix and the Director must have felt at Home Considering the Number of Westerns They Cranked Out.