13 Lead Soldiers

Interesting idea for a story - including the Algy/ Drummond switch - but somehow it doesn't work all that well and has confused several of the user reviewers. Algy is NOT the original collector of the figures and Seymour is not Drummond's "young male secretary" despite what has been stated elsewhere.

It was interesting to learn that the abysmal and near unwatchable quality of the film was the result of it being a copy of a 16mm print of this formerly lost film (If that reviewer has their facts straight.)

This one is better than some and not as good as others in the series;

This Bernard Small production stars Tom Conway as Bulldog Drummond -- why not? He'd already played the Saint and the Falcon, and if he'd played Sexton Blake, it wouldn't surprise me -- in a movie based on one of Sapper's novels. An acquaintance comes to Conway, explaining he has two old lead soldiers, and someone who owned two others had been killed. Would he hold onto them and look into it? To complicate the plot, John Newland is playing Algy, and they decide to switch names for the term of this adventure.

It's a nicely complicated movie because everyone seems to be operating under a false identity. In fact, it's so complicated that I had no idea of what was going on until Conway playing Drummond playing Algy started his explanation of the very complicated mystery behind all the goings-on. Conway saunters through the role and is clearly amused by the deadly situation, like Roger Moore playing Bond.

It's directed by Frank MacDonald, one of those B specialists who could handle just about any subject, spent most of his career directing westerns, but actually had a nice talent for comedy. He wound up directing episodes of GET SMART.

This installment of Bulldog Drummond obviously was inspired by Conan Doyle's story "The Adventure of the Six Napoleons". In other words, the film ripped the idea off! In addition to lacking originality, the film is also amazingly talky and slow...something you wouldn't expect in a film like this.

Drummond's friend, Algy, collects lead soldiers from the Middle Ages. According to the story, they are still relatively cheap to buy (?) and aren't worth very much. Why, then are folks so incredibly anxious to buy them from him? And, why has someone apparently been murdered to get one of them?! The solution to this mystery is right from the "Six Napoleons"...or at least it's a variation on it.

The problem is that even if the story had been more original, the film was so bereft of life that it would have been boring...which it really was. Unlike the wonderful old Falcon films, the filmmakers do little with Tom Conway and his charm just isn't enough to recommend the film.

Captain Hugh "Bulldog" Drummond is called in to solve the murder of a man from whom two lead soldiers were stolen. Drummond learns that the two soldiers were part of a set of thirteen which formed the key to a hidden vault of treasure. Following some clever sleuthing and set-up on Drummond's part, the guilty man is trapped in the vault,which is hidden behind the fireplace.

Atmospheric entry that starts really well, but rambles on a little in the middle but ends sharply with a riveting finale where you find out the significance of the toy soldiers. That's the hook of the film: what is so important about these little things?

The debonair Tom Conway plays Drummond, and does a good job. Unfortunately, Reginald Denny, who played Algy, isn't here, as he makes me laugh and adds some enjoyment- the leading ladies, especially Helen Westcott, are ravishing ( just comes to show that, unlike the actresses today, you don't need to wear next to nothing to be alluring.) The villain of the piece didn't come as a surprise, but that didn't spoil the light intrigue.

This is the second of the two Tom Conway Bulldog Drummond mysteries. He is assisted by John Newland as Algy and also a second sidekick character called Seymour. It's good to see the 'One Step Beyond' presenter Newland in an early acting role. Here Algy changes identities with Drummond but he is still out charmed by the real Drummond for the attention of the ladies. So I suppose it was obvious that Newland was never going to seen as a leading man through his characterization in this film.

The action begins at Stedman Manor where an intruder breaks in and steals two lead soldiers and an ancient map. Dr Steadman is murdered during the break-in. He had been treating the figures with chemicals. It turns out that the soldiers were of modest value so the mystery is why are the figures and map worth stealing and murdering for?

There came a point when I did guess the identity of the murderer. But it didn't mar the mystery for me as there were other layers that still needed to be sorted. The relationship of the suspects to each other does continue to drive the intrigue. And of course why exactly is the completion of the set of lead soldiers important? There is a very gripping finale which should satisfy any mystery fan.