The Ticket of Leave Man

The oh so hammy Tod Slaughter is good as usual in this mediocre crime thriller - it's more of a crime drama than a thriller. The film is a bit dry to me - it's missing something... darker elements. The film seems to "bright" or a bit "cheery" for a crime thriller. If it was meant to be comedy then this film would be perfect for that but the film is not a comedy. It doesn't have the elements of twisted darkness that one would expect from a Tod Slaughter film.

The movie is exactly what the description says: an innocent man is falsely accused of counterfeiting, put in prison and must prove he is innocent. "The Tiger" is actually responsible for the murders.

It's not a horrible film - but it's not all that great. I'll have to rate this one somewhere in the middle ground.

4.5/10

Ticket of Leave Man, The (1937)

** 1/2 (out of 4)

A serial killer known as The Tiger (Tod Slaughter) falls for a beautiful blonde so he frames her boyfriend sending him to prison in hopes that he'll get the girl. When the boyfriends gets out of prison The Tiger must try a new method to get the girl. I believe this is the sixth or seventh Slaughter film I've seen and they all feature the same plot of him trying to win a girl by framing their boyfriends. Slaughter has become a cult item the past several years and if you can tolerate him he's not too bad but non-fans will probably scratch their eyes out. He's as over the top as ever here but this nuttiness keeps the film moving. The supporting cast members are all dry and dull as is the creaky direction. The ending is downright stupid but it fits in with the campy nature.

thoroughly enjoyed this Todd Slaughter vehicle,, to be honest I never heard of him before till this movie,, he's very funny, entertaining, and just a joy to watch on the screen as the "Tiger".. a con man goes around London, killing people,, then decides it's time to pull the ultimate con,, he sets up a charity,,, called ticket of leave man,, a charity to help those who have just gotten out of jail,, and need a break,, i.e. a job... our main character is very nieve, and get's taken in by the nefarious tiger... he meets a beautiful young woman he intends to marry, but now their future is in jeopardly as he has lost faith in being an honest man,, and is contemplating a life of crime, to better his financial situation, and take care of his girl...

On the positive aspect of the film, there is a villain who thinks on his feet in addition to planning his way to the financial top. There's something to be said about society's notion of 'good character' and credit as well as a quickly wrapped up moral at the end.

Dialogue was laborious both in detail and cliché. Motivations and execution are certainly questionable. Maybe some of this style of theatre got lost in translation from stage to film. All characters were pretty much static and stereotypical. I'm not sure who the target audience for the film would be. Maybe a young couple afraid of the rich and/or powerful?

Pudgy screen presence Tod Slaughter deliciously plays a killer named the Tiger, famed for his thieving, murder, and anonimity. Slaughter, as with all his films it seems, sets his sights on the fiancée of a young bank clerk. Tod practically drools as he leers at the young lady and then sets up a plan with a dishonest moneylender to set the boyfriend up with some counterfeit bank notes. The plan works and the young man serves his term in prison. He gets out early and finds that no one will give a second chance to a Ticket of Leave man, that is a man who has been released from prison. Slaughter, still with designs on the pretty young lady, must find new ways now to deal with the man she still loves. Maybe if the young man becomes too desperate he will go to a life of crime. Slaughter is wonderful in this film. When we first see him, he is wearing a striped outfit with a bowler hat that makes him look truly ridiculous. Even when he disguises himself as an older man trying to help ticket of leave men(this is done to impress the young lady), Slaughter still forces the young lady to kiss him for his favors. His screen time is a joy to behold. He leers better than any other actor ever has on the screen. If you doubt it...watch his films. Slaughter makes leering an art form. This is a nicely directed film and lots of fun. Director George King does a serviceable job with an above-average cast, but make no mistake...this is Tod's film all the way!