Dangerous Passage

A Mr. Beck shows up to a South American solicitor's office to find out he has inherited a fortune from a discarded uncle. The solicitor makes him show him his proof of who he is. Then gives him instructions on traveling back to Texas to claim his fortune. That evening he is attacked in an attempt to get his proof of identification papers and he accidentally kills the attacker defending himself. Realizing he has to get out of town quickly, he talks his way on to the only boat leaving port that night. The boat has an additional passenger, a woman who he thinks is a singer escaping her lot in life. On board the ship things aren't what they seem. The lady has a scheme hatched with a crew member...and the captain and other crew members have a scheme of their own going...to top it of the solicitor and another thug board the boat at one of the port stops!

This was a great twisted film noir plot...with a wonderful mid-movie Mexican serenade beachside moment.

If you are a film noir fan...this is one you should know in your repertoire.

A lawyer tells Robert Lowery his grandfather has died and left him a lot of money. Lowery needs to get to Texas ASAP. When someone tries to mug him, he decides not to wait and takes the first ship heading his way. However, there are strange things happen onboard. Fellow passenger Phyllis Brooks is suspicious of him; there's an "accident" involving cut lines that almost kills him.

This is a movie that starts out very nicely, with lots of foggy noir camerawork by DP Fred Jackman Jr. As the movie unreels, Daniel Mainwaring's script falls into standard tropes, and suddenly, Charles Arndt is talking like Casper Gutman. Still, in the end, the story is wrapped up very satisfactorily by director William Berke, one of those fast-working B specialists about whom you wonder what he might have accomplished had he been given an A production.

In short, it's another decently made B production by Pine-Thomas, using proven formulas and good, if cheap actors. It's a very nice time-waster.

Studio-bound programmer. I expect the movie was good diversion for wartime audiences on the late shift. Seems inheritance-rich Beck (Lowery) gets onto a ship where the fog never lifts, a touch that's both atmospheric and cost cutting. On board, he quickly runs into intrigues where nobody can be trusted, not even the fetching Nita (Brooks)-- so, should he kiss her or search her. And will he ever get to Texas and claim his inheritance. He won't if the deck hands don't tie down the heavy oil drums better, or is it the shadowy guy with the rope-cutting knife. Well, after all, the movie is titled Dangerous Passage not Sunshine Cruises.

Plot-wise, the two separate intrigues are awkward and overloaded for a 60-minute runtime, suggesting that the insurance scheme, at least, should have been dropped. Except for LaRue's uncertain character, the acting is good for a programmer. And hats off to Lowery who must have jumped from one movie set to the next, so busy was he during this period. Nothing special here, just serviceable entertainment, even for generations later.

What is it about kissing in older films that make them seem so very staged, and forced? Was it a requirement of film censors for this approach, so impressionable audience members wouldn't be quite as scandalized? Or is it just an extension of how contrived most romances were in a time when the industry was even more male-centered? In any event, the latter certainly describes in general how interactions between stars Robert Lowery and Phyllis Brooks appear on film here. Put that aside, and 'Dangerous passage' holds promise as the story of a shipping vessel where those on board are shady, desperate, or some combination thereof, with a dash of varied hopes and aspirations on top. Pictures from the 30s and 40s that clocked in at such a minute length, as this does, tended more than not to make the most of their span to hook audiences and keep them hooked; while this feature maintains a steady pace, it doesn't seem quite as concerned about its plot development. This isn't to say that it's altogether bland, but story beats come, and go, and build, but there's no real air of urgency or drama about them. I don't think that's anyone's fault per se, just an unfortunate truth of how this production turned out, but it's noticeable all the same.

Spearheaded by Paramount, 'Dangerous passage' comes across as the type of picture that's pitched to an executive, and slammed into production, to fill the release schedule and make a quick, easy buck. This isn't to say that it's rushed, or bad, but only that the relative lack of meaningfully impactful narrative, or characters to get invested in, translates into simple, passive entertainment. It's suitably well made, and acted, with fine production design. Yet even when we do get a burst of plot, or a scene that should carry charged energy, the execution feels almost lackadaisical. All the elements are here for what should be a reasonably compelling drama, yet it seems like there wasn't enough real care put into any one part to impart any earnest vibrancy to the viewer. Alas, it turns out that the same inauthenticity that marks kissing between Lowery and Brooks is a rather accurate summation of the title as a whole.

You could do a lot worse; you could also do a lot better. This is the type of movie to put on when you want to watch something without getting actively engaged in it. Indeed, even if you try, the film itself will discourage your investment, and it's so unbothered about its own plot that the conveyance thereof becomes muddled for the fact of the middling tedium. 'Dangerous passage' is an okay watch for a lazy hour if you come across it, but temper your expectations and don't go out of your way for it.

The film begins with an American expatriate being told about his inheriting $200,000. However, shortly after this, an attempt is made on his life--so it's obvious that someone wants that money. When he books passage on a steamer, it seems that he's fallen into ANOTHER plot--and the crew mistakes him for someone else....someone they want to kill! Talk about bad luck! DANGEROUS PASSAGE is a pretty well-written film--with an interesting plot that could have been handled a lot better. The problem is that the film was made by Pine-Thomas Productions--a very low-budget independent company that had only been making films for a short time before this film. As a result, the acting is only adequate, at best, and the direction is limp. In fact, given better direction, the film really could have been something worth seeing. As is, it's just a time-passer and it's easy to see why this film passed into the public domain.