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Tired from being infinitely rich and having nothing to do in the peacetime, World War I veteran Hugh Drummond (Ronald Colman) puts an ad into the papers offering his services for adventurous propositions - and it's not long before Phyllis (Joan Bennett) asks him to help her save her uncle Travers (Charles Sellon), who's apparently held at a mock hospital by creepy and torture prone Dr Lakington (Lawrence Grant), pompous masster criminal Peterson (Montagu Love) and his "sister", femme fatale Irma (Lilyan Tashman), who want Travers to sign over a vast fortune in bonds to them. At first, Drummond thinks it's only a joke, but when he meets Lakington a short time after his encounter with Phyllis and he tells him unmistakably that he ought to keep out of the whole case, Drummond knows the girl needs real help and pays a visit to the "hospital" and sees Phyllis is already held as a sort-of hostage there, he first uses his charms and bag-of-tricks to get her out of there, then manages to snatch Travers from right unter their noses as well - but Peterson and gang soon find Drummond's trail and force him to give up Travers ... only it's not Travers Drummond's giving up but himself instead, in the guise of Travers. Now when he's found out Drummond doesn't give up Travers' location easily, but when Lakington starts torturing Phyllis (whom the villains have kidnapped again), he can't but talk ... but he leads Peterson and Irma into a dead end while somehow getting the upper hand on Lakington, whom he strangles, then even lures Peterson into a trap - but Peterson has a bag of tricks of his own, so he and Irma get away. But at least, Drummond gets the girl ...

Now it's undeniable that this movie, the first Bulldog Drummond talkie shares the problem with many an early talking picture: It's very much on the static side due to the bulky sound equipment used, not all the actors are perfectly adapted to sound yet, and the lack of incidental music makes some scenes somewhat stale - but that said, it's still a fun little vincent movie, the action moves along rather lively, the dialogue is poignant, and Colman in the lead really brings the somewhat self-ironic nature of Drummond across beautifully.

Fans of the books and/or vintage movies are sure to like this one!

review © by Mike Haberfelner

 

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