Le Faucon pris au piège

The Falcon films with George Sanders were mostly very enjoyable, with only 'The Falcon's Brother' being lacking. Tom Conway's first solo outing in the title role is one of the better films in the Falcon series, and Conway is every bit as good as his brother.

Faults are few. It is agreed that the murderer's alibi is a bit on the feeble side and arouses suspicion somewhat at that point. There are two exceptions to an otherwise great cast. One is Harriet Hilliard (or Harriet Nelson), who comes over as a stiff and one-note actress in a pretty limited role. The other is Cliff Clark, who mugs in a buffoonish manner, makes one miss James Gleason who would have been a much better choice.

Conway however is perfectly cast, bringing the very same qualities to the character that Sanders did and is very clearly enjoying himself. Cliff Edwards is amusingly solid as Goldie (the character making a welcome return after being sorely missed in 'The Falcon's Brother'), a worthy replacement for the admittedly still superior Allen Jenkins. Jane Randolph and Rita Corday are very charming support, and Edgar Kennedy proves in his splendidly malevolent performance that he is much more than a slapstick stooge. Edward Gargan's material is much stronger here, and he's fun.

Advantaging them all the way are the playful, crackling script, an absorbing story that balances humorous comedy with suspenseful mystery (if occasionally rushed, which is the fault of the short running time) and superior direction from Edward Dmytryk. Production values-wise, 'The Falcon Strikes Back' is slick and atmospheric, and the music lively.

On the whole, very entertaining film and one of the best of the series. Conway's first solo outing couldn't have been a better one. 8/10 Bethany Cox

While the Falcon nurses a monumental hangover, a beautiful woman arrives in his room. All she wants is help from the suave detective. And the Falcon is never one to refuse a beautiful girl anything. Soon he is investigating murder and a forgery racket with the aid of a glamorous reporter and his side-kick Goldy.

Starts with the Falcon having a hangover and a damsel in distress and he ends up with a sore head and the bumbling police after him. He heads to a resort where he gets involved with a dodgy hotel owner, a puppeteer, a murder and almost gets run down - all par for the coarse for our suave hero. A standard tale, diverting enough, though it meanders a little. Nice rooftop finale.

This is the fifth Falcon film, the first with Tom Conway in the role, and the first with a major director, Ed Dmytryk. Consequently, artistic shots begin to appear: when someone pulls a gun on one occasion, Dmytryk cuts to a dramatic closeup of the gun barrel pointing at the camera. An ingenious tracking shot of Conway walking along the edge of a swimming pool talking to a woman who is swimming was replicated in 1985, 42 years later, in 'The Sure Thing' directed by Rob Reiner. The screenwriters of the previous film have been dumped because they did not provide enough humour, and this time humour is back, and plenty of it. Dialogue crackles again in top form. Unfortunately, Keye Luke as the butler is gone, so a lot is lost in that department. There are some splendid villains, and it is a good solid wartime espionage thriller, excellent B movie stuff. Conway is as urbane and smooth as his brother, and just as compulsive a girl-chaser. There are some wonderful gags, and the women swooning as Conway kisses them, or flocking to his arms asking for his help, are played for all they are worth. Wonderful fun and an intriguing mystery tale done with style.

In this episode of the Falcon, Tom Lawrence is investigating a theft of war bonds and murder. Considering it was made during WWII, it isn't surprising that they added the patriotic angle--something that happened in other similar films, such as some of the Sherlock Holmes and Charlie Chan movies.

This is a pretty good Falcon movie that stars Tom Conway (real-life brother of George Sanders who had played the Falcon in several earlier films). While not his best of the series (for example, I liked THE FALCON AND THE CO-EDS and THE FALCON'S BROTHER just a bit more), it was enjoyable and engaged me. However, no matter how good this film was, I found myself comparing it to the earlier Sanders films again and again. While there is a lot of similarity between the actors (both physically and in their melodious voices), the earlier films seemed to have a bit more energy and charm--probably because by now the series seemed a bit formulaic and predictable. Still, for a B-detective series film from the era, it's slightly better than average and is definitely worth a watch.

By the way, the Harriet Hilliard who plays one of the ladies that turns the Falcon's head is the same Harriet from "The Ozzie and Harriet Show". While competent in the film, she didn't seem especially like the ladies the Falcon usually fell for or rescued.

Entertaining little mystery with a puppeteer theme among the sub-plots and easy to watch. TOM CONWAY, sounding amazingly like his brother George Sanders who originated the role of the Falcon, does a commendable job of mixing sleuthing with romance.

Jane Randolph is good as the romantic interest, but Harriet Hilliard offers little evidence of either acting ability or future possibilities as a romantic lead. She had a much brighter future on TV.

The plot has something to do with war bonds but only serves to provide a modicum of interest until the murderer is finally revealed. Edgar Kennedy has one of his more memorable roles here.

A breezy entry in the series, very watchable. Amusing to see Cliff Edwards (of "Pinocchio" fame) in a supporting role.