La taverna dello squalo

This is one of the better entries in the Edgar Wallace krimi series. There's a heavy emphasis on the fog-bound (supposedly) Soho environment, several sleight-of-hand camera angles (including a great one with Kinski and a mirror), and a creepy denizen-of-the-depths villain known as The Shark, who uses harpoons as his weapons of choice. Eddie Arent contributes his always welcome comic relief as an eccentric nautical wag this time (instead of his usual assistant inspector), and gives a wonderful demonstration of "The Twist" with a local hipster. Of course the inspector falls for a lovely (barely of-age) fraulein. The wacky score contributes greatly.

This 1962 mystery is the first exposure I've had to the Edgar Wallace krimi adaptations. I enjoyed it quite a bit although the mystery was a bit too convoluted. There is even a "So and so did this because..." explanation towards the end but I still have a few questions. Anyway, the film is about a killer named The Shark who is killing people in London with a speargun. He is able to get away because he dresses in a scuba outfit and uses the city sewer lines to escape. Inspector Wade (Joachim Fuchsberger) of Scotland Yard is on the case.

The film has a lot going for it, especially in the Theremin themed bits involving The Shark. The image of the killer in an all black wetsuit is atmospherically shot and suitably creepy. Dick Maas was definitely impressed by it because he used it to similar effect in the 80s action thriller AMSTERDAMNED. Another plus is a young Klaus Kinski in a major supporting role as sleazy French businessman. On the downside, the film features some awkward comic relief in the form of the bumbling Barnaby character. And, as I mentioned earlier, it does get confusing for a bit. At one point three men in black scuba suits are running around. However, the end revelation of who The Shark is pretty unexpected and director Alfred Vohrer does his best to send you off the track.

Shot entirely at Hamburg in Germany as if it was in London, this movie portraits in smallest details the atmospheric London's fog nearby the Thames river, just using old stock footage in some sequences only, this turn the Scotland Yard's Inspector Wade (Joachim Fuchsberger) has to face an unexpected enemy intitled as Shark, due he acts disguised of scuba diver who has been perpetrating several robberies, murders and disappearing thru sewage network until Thames river.

Inspector Wade starts at harbor area where a famous lodging-Tabern-nightspot Mekka is set, looking for some clues to take on the unknown killer, there are many suspects as the owner of Mekka the cynical Mrs. Nelly Oaks (Elisabeth Flickenschildt) his bleak bartender Big Willy (Rudolf Fenner), an obscure Ship's owner Mr. Broen (Heinz Engelmann), the scarface thug Roger Lane (Jan Hendriks) and slippery lodger Gubanow (Klaus Kinski), otherwise in other pictures the funny character played by Eddi Arent now is a flamboyant water sports as Barnaby.

Aiming for spice up the story the Inspector Wade has a romantic affair with the gorgeous teenager Leila Smith (Brigitte Grothum), meanwhile he has a support of the police forensic Doctor Collins (Richard Munch), it sounds a complex plot about a supposed daughter from a wealthy British family that actually was dead in tender age, indeed a absorbent thriller.

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First watch: 2024 / How many: 1 / Source: DVD / Rating: 7.5.

The last 'Krimi'/Edgar Wallace adaptation I watched was "Der Hexer" (a.k.a. "The Magician"), and since that was great, I'm slightly worried the next couple of ones won't live up to its standards. This is already noticeable with "The Inn on the River". Although my expectations were set quite high, based on the plot synopsis of a serial killer in a diving suit terrorizing London and eliminating his/her victims with a harpoon, I found the film rather dull and predictable.

The disappointment mostly comes from the fact our scuba diver isn't a serial killer at all, but merely just the mysterious leader of a smuggling ring. And, with that, we're back in an overly familiar and derivative Edgar Wallace terrain. The regular Krimi-actors star in their usual roles, like Joachim Fuchsberger as the tough Scotland Yard inspector, Eddi Arent as the pointless comic relief, and Klaus Kinski as the sinister guy creeping around the crime scenes and popping up everywhere. Speaking of Klaus, I must say he never looked so good! With his fancy white suits and subtle beard, his character here is the handsomest of all the Krimi-characters he depicted... And there are many! Regarding the climax (as in: the revelation of the culprit), if you pay close attention and think logically, it's fairly simply to guess who's inside the wetsuit.

This is another film made in Germany in the sixties, based on a story by Edgar Wallace, and directed by Alfred Vohrer. It's also one of the best films of its type. The plot is typical of Edgar Wallace; it's wacky and features a plethora of strange and unique characters. As the title suggests, the film makes a river (the Thames, naturally) its central setting and this is very important for the plot as it focuses on a murderer with a strange modus operandi. Scotland Yard have been called in to investigate a series of murders happening on the river - witnesses have reported seeing a man in a wetsuit and all of the victims are found to have been killed by a harpoon - thus leading the murderer to be nicknamed 'The Shark'. Inspector Wade is called in to look into the murders and it soon becomes apparent that they may have something to do with a local smuggling operation. His efforts are concentrated on one family in particular that owns a bar and, allegedly, a large fortune also.

Alfred Vohrer stylishly directs the film, and seems to have a fascination with mirrors - as there's plenty of shots featuring characters' reflections. The plot is well worked and the way that the investigation is presented is interesting; although to be honest I would have proffered to have seen more of The Shark. A murderer swimming around a river and shooting people with a harpoon gun is a fascinating idea, but it's not capitalised upon as much as it could have been. The central cast is good and features many familiar Krimi faces - including Joachim Fuchsberger, Eddi Aren't and Klaus Kinski, who has a small but memorable role as a smuggler. There's plenty of good set pieces to keep the interest up, although the focus of the mystery is not on the identity of The Shark but on the reasons for the killing; meaning the final unveiling of the villain at the end is a bit of a moot point; although it does at least come as a surprise. Overall, this is an excellent Krimi that works in spite of a couple of problems and it will certainly be of interest to fans of the genre.