Club Havana

Although Tom Neal and Margaret Lindsay are given top billing, this is a film which really has no leads. Instead, it consists of many different vignettes as well as a few nightclub acts. In some ways, you might compare it to "Grand Hotel" or "Dinner at Eight" because there are many different plots going on at the same time, though this is from tiny PRC studios...an ultra-cheapo studio that specialized in making B-movies and making them quickly.

The story bounces around a lot....from table to table as the film progresses. Each little vignette offers a glimpse at a couple or group of people....and then the camera goes off to follow some other folks or a song and dance number. The sum effect is as if you were a waiter or guest at the nightclub and you wandered about the place all evening...catching snippets of this and that. One of the plots involving a criminal and his alibi is the stronger of the many plots.

So is this any good? Well, compared to a typical PRC movie, yes...though with PRC's incredibly low standards this isn't saying much. I will say it never gets dull and the stories are mostly interesting. The least interesting aspect of the film are the musical acts, though having a nightclub without entertainment would be a tad strange.

Overall, a surprisingly watchable film...for PRC. Not exactly brilliant but a decent little time passer...and with an amazingly tough and violent ending!