Dick Barton: Special Agent

In preparation for the "House of Hammer" podcast, which is covering the complete "Dick Barton" trilogy that Hammer produced in the late 1940's. Slightly confusingly for me, I watched "Dick Barton: Strikes Back" first, not believing that this was available, but then finding a copy on YouTube. Having enjoyed the sequel, I found this disappointing.

With his friends as cover, Dick Barton (Don Stannard) heads to the small coastal town of Echo Bay and disrupts a smuggling ring there. Though seemingly small fry for a Detective of Barton's renown, the smugglers have a link to a foreign scientist, going by the name of Dr Casper (Geoffrey Wincott) whose scheme is more malevolent than merely importing contraband.

Despite only being made a year later, "Dick Barton Strikes Back" is a much more accomplished film, in virtually every regard. Here, at least on the version I saw, the editing is a lot less capable. The fight scenes are hilariously amateurish but most strikingly the performances are terrible. Even Don Stannard isn't as comfortable as he is next time out. Farnham Baxter's character Roscoe is a very unusual creation. I don't know what accent he's doing but to describe is as odd is an understatement. The foley work is poor, and some of the dialogue crudely pasted into certain scenes.

You have the early use of the trope of a villain who doesn't just kill the hero, when he has him dead to rights, instead choosing to trap him and assume that his elaborate scheme will work. It's a proud tradition started in the serials and continuing right through to the Batman TV show.

Nothing like as accomplished as it's sequel.