L'ultima rapina

This Bulldog Drummond is actually pretty darn good. It could be any detective vs bad guys but that's irrelevant. The story makes sense, is mostly well lighted, the girl is pretty and doesn't faint or scream, Walter Pigeon makes for a good Bulldog brought out of retirement (which he spends raising prize pigs) and annoying Algy is not quite as annoying this time.

Recommended by someone who has only three more to go in their Bulldog Drummond Binge... plus a couple not available !

And one only, in my opinion.

That reason is Margaret Leighton. She is a wonderful actress, on-stage as well as on the screen. We have few chances to see her, though. I think that's especially true in the United States.

Here she plays a sympathetic role. Not only that but she is also very pretty and meant to be something of a bombshell.

Walter Pigeon does not hold up the tradition of Drummond performers. He is always reliable but he's not much fun. He's not a rascal or a knave. Consequently, this seemed to me a talky endeavor with little action or suspense. But check it out for Leighton.

Bulldog Drummond, as portrayed by Walter Pidgeon here, gets a call form the police. There's a new criminal gang terrorizing London, and no one knows anything about it. Pidgeon allows himself to be caught cheating at cards, and supposedly flees the country, while the club considers whether to expel him. David Tomlinson, playing Algy Longworth, is thoroughly confused. Meanwhile, Pidgeon has gone undercover with police sergeant Margaret Leighton to infiltrate the gang, which he does with great ease.

Pidgeon spent most of his quarter-century at MGM squiring around the ladies, and playing well-mannered individuals. Here's a late entry in his leading man resume. While he maintains his genial charm throughout, the movie was a total failure at the box office, and was Pidgeon's last leading man on the silver screen. Perhaps the poor way the parts of the story fit together had something to do with it. Even so, the MGM gloss, great camerawork by Freddie Young, anda generally genial attitude by all hands makes this one watchable.

Pidgeon was a welcome presence for another quarter of a century, never had an unkind word for anyone, a great store of dirty limericks, and a perfect contentment with his lot in life. He died in 1984 at the age of 87.

Starting in 1922 and through the early 1940s, many, many different actors played Drummond--and he even reappeared a few times after that. It wasn't until John Howard finally got the role and managed to play him six times that the series had any stability. Mostly, however, it consisted of an actor taking the helm for only one or two films--and including Ronald Colman, Ray Milland and Tom Conway. In total, there were 24 appearances by 14 actors--so consistency was NOT a strength of the Drummond series!! If they had stuck with only one or two actors, the series might have gained a wider following. So, seeing the American Walter Pidgeon taking on the role isn't that surprise--everyone seemed to be playing him!

In many ways, this iteration of Drummond is different from earlier ones. The light-hearted sense of humor is missing and instead, the film seems a bit film noir in sensibilities. Part of this might be because Algy (the usual comic relief) is more of a minor character in this one. The baddies in the film also aren't afraid to shoot the police, the dialog is more tough and the lighting is, at times, very noir---and Algy brutally plugs one of the gang members at point-blank range. It certainly looked a lot more 50s in style!

This film starts with an incredibly cool and well-designed robbery. Eight guys in trench coats, fedora hats and rubber masks efficiently steal a ton of cash in very workmanlike fashion. To assist them, the carry a backpack radio (like would have been used by troops during the war) to keep in touch with the boss who guides them. They do this all so neatly, you'd assume they will never get caught.

Because three such split-second timed jobs have been executed with military efficiency, the police have decided to consult Hugh 'Bulldog' Drummond--who has been retired for some time. He agrees to go undercover and try to insinuate himself into the gang once he locates it--as Drummond always wants to do it the dangerous way! And, he's assisted by a pretty female from Scotland Yard. But can they manage to avoid detection? After all, this is a very smart gang! All in all, I really liked this style Bulldog Drummond film--a lot more than the earlier ones. Because it was much more realistic and gritty, the film seemed less like just another B-series film. It's a shame, though, that this film apparently didn't catch on and was the only one in which Pidgeon starred. My score of 8 is relative to other B-movies as well as the other Drummond films.

By the way, look for a younger Bernard Lee as the nine-fingered man. You probably will recognize his face--he was the original 'M' from the Sean Connery, George Lazenby and Roger Moore films in the James Bond series. Also, notice that Drummond and Algy refer to British football as 'soccer'. Do the Brits ever refer to this sport as soccer? I thought only silly Americans (like me) call it that. I assumed they used that term since this film was made by an American studio.

A very well-plotted and well-written entry, though, as noted before, it doesn't have the usual cast of characters we know and love. No E. E. Clive. No Heather Angel. BUT, it is a really well shot and directed movie. It moves along briskly. No wasted scenes or moments.

The big treat for me is the performance of Leighton. She doesn't just hold her own alongside Pigeon, I think she outshines him. She has a subtle touch and has no problem shifting from tart to Scotland Yard operative within the same scene. Her classic training on the English stage shows...in all the right ways.

MrMovieGuy.com