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When the fire department finds a few too many burning warehouses
attached to just one insurance agent, Fender (Douglas Fowley), they ask
young fireman Joe Martin (Robert Lowery) to investigate the case
undercover ... so he first sees to it that Fender catches his attention
while still being a fireman, and soon Fender ahs him followed by Pete
Purdi (Edward Brophy), and at an illegal betting den, Joe and Pete even
become friends, with Joe complaining about his low-paying job.
Then the place is raided, Joe is arrested and is dismissed from the
fire brigade (which is all just a set-up of course), and all of a sudden,
Fender shows interest in employing the ex-fireman, since he is indeed
behing burning down all these warehouses in an insurance scam, and he
could use the help of someone with expert knowledge of fires.
Soon enough, Joe accompanies Pete for his first job, yet another
warehouse, but he tips off Murph (Steve Pendleton), a cop shadowing him -
and after Joe and Pete have set the place on fire, Murph puts it out - bad
move, because Pete, an obsessive arsonist, insists on returning to the
scene of the crime, and when he finds Murph instead of a big fire, he
shoots him down. Furthermore, Fender starts to suspect Joe of being a
stool pigeon, so he has him lured into a trap.
It all amounts to Pete first taking Joe's girlfriend Jane (Anne Gwynne)
hostage, then cornering them in a warehouse and trying to burn it down ...
but of course, ultimately Joe can overcome Pete, and when the authorities
arrive just hand him over. Fender meets a rather disappointing end when
his car crashes and goes up in flames (which is a piece of divine justice,
probably).
An enjoyable cheap, little crime thriller that moves along at a quick
enough pace and features a few original plot elements to keep the viewer
interested, and it's short enough (just over an hour) to not lose steam.
All this doesn't make the film great of course, but quite entertaining at
least ...
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