Sexton Blake and the Hooded Terror

I have never seen a Sexton Blake movie before, but I was struck by the many ways that he seemed to be a ripoff of Sherlock Holmes. Apparently, the stories began appearing in magazines in the 1890s--and were deliberate copies of the Conan Doyle stories. Like Sherlock Holmes, Sexton is an amateur detective that lives on Baker Street, has a landlady and assistant who is a bit of a loser. And, in many ways in this film, he just seemed like Holmes with a different name.

So is the film worth seeing? Yes--but I must warn you that it's all a bit silly--like a B-mystery or movie serial. Yes, this detective does not seek out your garden variety baddie but a guy in a hood and an international gang of criminals...a bit like Moriarty, actually. So why did I give it a respectable 6? Well, it was fun and the ending was VERY, VERY unconventional and very unexpected--and I liked that. Worth seeing if you love Bs.