The Squeaker usually ranks toward the top of Rialto Film's Edgar Wallace adaptations. The film is good but somewhat overrated. A criminal known as The Snake is killing witnesses with a gun that shoots snake venom into the victims. The identity of the killer is fairly easy to determine, but that is not really the problem. The Squeaker feels talkier than usual and less interesting than some of the best entries in the series. It is, however, a reasonably entertaining watch though.
Fans of the series will appreciate the actors changing up their roles. Series regular Siegfried Schurenberg takes a break from Sir John, the Scotland Yard Chief to play a newspaper publisher baffled by his paper always missing the big scoop. This might have something to do with having Eddi A-r-e-n-t (take that auto-correct!) as a reporter.
As good as these actors are, the film belongs to Klaus Kinski. The actor appeared in many of these adaptations, but he often had a superficial role. Kinski's physical demeanor did not lend itself to casting him as the main villain because the audience would easily guess he was the villain just by looking at him. Thus, often, Kinski played a sleazy witness that would be bumped off or the villain's henchman, which technically he plays in The Squeaker as well. The difference is that, in The Squeaker, Kinski is given more chance to shine. Almost all of the film's best scenes belong to Kinski, from the opening heist of the black mamba, to playing with a pet boa constrictor, to disposing of an unwanted body, to silencing a witness (in a clever way), to the ending shootout, Klaus Kinski owns this film. Fans of the actor should definitely take note.
