Outside the Law

Ex-con Ray Danton is recruited by his father, Onslow Stevens, to help track down and break a gang of counterfeiters in Germany. Danton is angry with his father, but accepts. Stevens can't keep his love for his son from interfering with the operations.

It's a nice, murky little movie directed by Jack Arnold, with some love interest provided by Leigh Snowden, and a general air of "just doing my job" on the part of the other agents and the counterfeiters, even when they look like they're about to get violent. Utility cinematographer Irving Glassberg shows his usual high level of professionalism in the sort of throwaway programmer that Arnold was able to put something extra into.

The underrated actor, Ray Danton, stars as aGI with a checkered past, who is now working for his father in the Treasury Department. The father and son team (along with several t-men) are trying to crack a very sophisticated counterfeiting ring originating in Germany. I can tell you from direct experience as an owner of a small paper collectibles business, that the Germans are the absolute best paper counterfeiters in the world, by a large margin.

They counterfeit paper collectibles very often in addition to doing counterfeit bill reproduction.

There is the usual romantic interest from a B actress, who was never seen again (or rarely), but it really has little chemistry (her acting is pretty bad). Danton, on the other hand, is very good in his role. Catch him if you can.

Army parolee Johnny Salvo (Ray Danton) is offered a chance to "wipe his slate clean" and regain his citizenship rights if he agrees to help the Secret Service investigate the suspicious death and activities of another Army parolee while in Berlin. It's a dicey situation because he'll be under the supervision of his own father, whom he deeply resents, and the investigation leads to an international counterfeiting ring who'll stop at nothing, including murder, to protect their operation. With his life in danger, Johnny falls for the attractive widow in the case who may or may not be part of the criminal gang. Charming but sinister gang boss (Grant Williams) is determined to get Johnny out of the picture. Suspenseful and absorbing drama as the complicated operation is gradually uncovered will keep viewers engaged.

Shortly after the story begins, a soldier is shot and killed by his so-called 'friends'. Only moments before, he was talking with another soldier, Johnny Salvo (Ray Danton). Well, soon Johnny is offered a chance to work with government in order to try to not only solve the murder but stop a counterfeiting ring....the same 'friends' that killed the soldier. What incentive are they offering for Johnny's help? Well, he joined the army because he was offered a choice...the army or prison! Apparently, Johnny's an ex-con...and if he helps, he'll have his entire criminal record released. The case is complicated when Johnny falls in love with the widow...and you have no idea if she's part of this gang or not.

Ray Danton is hardly a household name today, but he was a good actor...and a very handsome one at that. This film shows that he COULD do a great job despite being a B or C-list actor...and he is very good here. The story also is interesting and kept my interest. Well worth seeing.

Jack Arnold directed this subpar Universal-International movie, a Ray Danton vehicle of one-dimensional characters and flat, boring story elements.

The culprit is screenwriter Danny Arnold (no relation). Right through to the corny, blah ending, his work is quite poor, hardly indicative of hi great success later in TV producing and creating hits "That Girl" and "Barney Miller".

Danton plays an ex-con and WW II vet chosen by his estranged father to become an undercover government agent to help break up an international counterfeiting ring. He glides effortlessly through the role, while Arnold's iconic hero (of "Incredible Shrinking Man") Grant Williams sleepwalks through a cast-against-type assignment as chief heavy. The uneasy re0lationship between Danton and his dad Onslow Stevens is central to the story but comes across as completely artificial. Leigh Snowden is the pretty but overly "nice" heroine, as Danny's script fails to give her character an edge or any possibility of being a femme fatale.

It adds up to being a forgettable, boring programmer.