THE MAD EXECUTIONERS feels like the prolific Edgar Wallace had hit full stride with this fast-paced, heart-pounding, cross-genre corker. Ironic, perhaps, as this film, is actually adapted from an "idea" by Wallace's son, Bryan Edgar Wallace, proof the apple doesn't fall too far from the tree. The third in the series of six krimis (that's German for crime films) recently restored and released by CCC Film, the West German film production company that rose from the ashes of the Second World War to provide demoralized German cinemagoers respite from the Nazi era, THE MAD EXECUTIONERS manages to entertain-not depress-audiences.
The suspense is established right off the bat with a pounding tympanic overture set under the opening credits and extending into the first scene. A group of cloak-clad men replete with Klan-like hoods are discovered in what could be mistaken for the catacomb-inspired set of a touring production of T. S. Eliot's MURDER IN THE CATHEDRAL. The atmosphere of dread lives up to its promise and within the film's first few tension-filled minutes, the chorus of killers commit their latest act of vigilantism as they pronounce-and carry out-- a death sentence on an elusive London-based criminal.
What a way to get the ball rolling!
Meantime, Scotland Yard is desperate to stop the ritual murders. The press and the public are both hollering for an end to the dual reign of terror, for the streets to be made safe again. Chief Inspector Smith, (can't get any more English than that) played by Wolfgang Priess, (can't get any more German than that!) pulls his best inspector off another high-profile case, a string of murders involving decapitated young women, and assigns him the priority task of stopping the vigilantes. Priess is excellent playing men of authority, usually high-ranking Nazis-ironic given he was exempt from military service during the war. In ensuing years Priess became a familiar face to many cinema-goers outside of Germany, where he enjoyed an international career, most of the time playing military men.
THE MAD EXECUTIONERS is possibly the best of the six krimes in the box set TERROR IN THE FOG: THE WALLACE KRIMIS AT CCC under scrutiny in these six reviews. There are healthy doses of humour, horror, comedy and even sci-fi. The script is first-rate and the acting excellent. If what I've opined is not enough to encourage you to give it a go, then allow me to draw your attention to an actor I'd never seen before, but whose work in THE MAD EXECUTIONERS is exemplary, Chris Howland.
Who? I'd never heard of this fellow before. But therein lies the joy of discovery, when new films or new artists come to your attention. Suffice to say, Howland steals the show in a secondary role (or should we say "roles," plural.) Howland was an English-born celebrity who, like Wallace, found greater fame in his adopted country-Germany-than his original home, England. Singer, host, personality, actor, his greatest asset was his "British" accent, which the German public embraced with delight. Howland plays several roles in THE MAD EXECUTIONERS, including one surprising, key role near the end. No spoilers here, though. There are plenty of reasons to watch THE MAD EXECUTIONERS and Howland is one of them.
One of the highlights of the film, as well as of Howland's work, is when he sings a song in the nightclub where he is supposedly working undercover. It's an amusing, catchy number that is part of a celebration for the release from prison of a bad guy. (Hmm, wonder how he'll end up?) Howland is all over the place in the number, really working the crowd for all it was worth. The segment reminded me of the curious but ever-so-entertaining scene in THE FASTEST GUN ALIVE starring the great Glenn Ford, in which Russ Tamblyn, in a supporting role, absolutely steals the scene if not the entire film when he does an extended solo at a Barn Dance. The number was so good that star Glenn Ford wanted it cut! "I'm the star, not him!" he purportedly yelled. Tamblyn had his following though, so the scene stayed. Funny how such episodes reveal people's-even major movie star's-insecurities. In a film already packed with variety, Howland's number in the nightclub adds to the appeal of THE MAD EXECUTIONERS and leaves you wondering what will be next. This is where the film takes a successful turn into sci-fi territory but, no spoilers here!
