20,000 Eyes

Gene Nelson stars in "20,000 Eyes" from 1961, also featuring Merry Anders and James Brown.

Nelson plays Dan Warren, a man threatened by a gangster (John Banner) regarding a loan that he wants paid back within five days.

Warren convinces his girlfriend (Anders) and a friend (Brown) to help him in a jewelry heist/insurance scam in order to get the money in time.

This films runs about 60 minutes. Boomers will remember Brown as Lt. Rip Masters on Rin Tin Tin, and in a minor role, Robert Shayne, Inspector Henderson on Superman. And let's not forget John Banner from Hogan's Heroes as a meanie!

There are a few exciting moments. Nothing special.

Jack Leewood was a B producer in the 50's, with no classics. But in 1961, he became director with that dreadful "20000 eyes", slow-paced and terribly low-budget. In just an hour, many scenes are totally useless trying to reach this hour length, see how long runs the last shot on the sky before we can read "the end". And that heavy musical score to give speed to all the slow scenes with nothing happening. Just filling all through the movie with a story completely far-fetched. I saw yesterday an hour movie from the same year with low-budget, "Seven Keys", that one was real fast-paced and totally inventive from the first frame to the last one.

Filmed in six days, this Post Noir (during the period after genuine Film Noir ended in 1958 and before intentional homage ala Neo Noir began in the latter 1960's i.e. before anyone knew what Noir meant) titled 20,000 EYES sure shows its rushed production...

Beginning with a not-so-loving couple played by two 20th Century Fox b-movie players Gene Nelson (under the direction of Jack Leewood, who he'd return with for THUNDER ISLAND and Merry Anders, cramped in the kind of one-shot most of the film economically consists of, discussing something unimportant until Nelson's sucker-punched by future HOGAN'S HERO fan-favorite John Banner...

Who in this case, as a wealthy gangster, does the opposite of "I know nothing," explaining the entire plot-line of his "investment counselor" Nelson who embezzled money, now with five days to pay it back... one day less than it took to make the entire movie...

Man and woman are soon joined by the latter's former lover and the guy's current partner played by strong-jawed American-made James L. Brown in the creatively titled 20,000 EYES (referring to the city lights that don't witness the interior crime): a programmer in which, only by the end you'll realize had a nifty twist and an extremely clever heist plan that, during its course, is just suspenseful enough to pass the time...

Including Nelson having to think his way past an intruding night patrolman in a museum where the diamonds are displayed; all while his girlfriend and partner (Anders and Brown) nervously wait outside, making Nelson both a protagonist and antagonist with one shared attribute: taking crazy and desperate, last-minute risks, without which there would be no picture at all.

Dan (Gene Nelson) is a fast-talking and conscience-impaired investment counselor. He always seems to have a scheme up his sleeves and this appears to finally coming home to roost when he plays fast and easy with a mobster's money! The mobster, Novak (John Banner) soon discovers that Dan's been playing with other people's money and threatens to kill him unless he makes good. So, the ever-scheming Dan comes up with a way to use some other folks' diamonds in order to pay back Novak. Things go remarkably well...but soon Dan gets cocky and even considers keeping everything for himself. What's next?

For me, the best reason to see the film is to see John Banner playing a hood. Considering his fame as the wimpy Sgt. Schultz on "Hogan's Heroes", this is a huge change! It's really apparently in the first scene where the huge guy decks Dan--sending him sprawling across the room like a rag doll.

As far as the rest of the film goes, it's moderately taut and exciting low budget heist movie. Not nearly among the best but considering its modest cost, not a bad little film. And, fortunately, the finale is quite thrilling as well.