Directed by William Berke
This scrappy noir has fast action but terrible production value. You’ll spot plenty of noir staples—fog, creepy angles, shadowy bits, and a rendezvous on a cursed ship. Where’s one to find a capable Gal Friday? Whistling lullabies for dead babies on the aforementioned cursed ship, in true noir fashion.
Thinking up a new tune
However, it’s nice to see Phyllis Brooks wield an ax with as much alacrity as Kate Winslet in Titanic. Dangerous Passage uses its overworked fog machine to obscure every scene. The tilted set on the wrecked ship is an especially nice touch even though the villain giggles his way into a poor portrayal of Maltese Falcon’s Gutman.
“You know, faith in people is a nice thing to have around.”
This film is a punchy stand-alone as it’s mostly set aboard a ship in a foggy ocean crossing. Beck, played faithfully well by Robert Lowery, is trying to wend his way home from South America to Texas, but is continually jumped by constant and more diluted hit attempts. You know what every film noir needs other than one mysterious money-for-murder plot? Many murder-for-hire plots.
Always watching his back
The best scene may very well be the banter before the storm—the sharp exchange before the doomed pair set sail.
Pine-Thomas Productions was known for their swift productions and mediocre to excellent talent, a trend strong in Dangerous Passage. With one less intrigue plot, this would’ve been tenfold better.
Can’t see a thing? Neither can the actors
-MH