Dangerous Passage

After being informed that he has just inherited $200,000, "Joe Beck" (Robert Lowry) is then told that he needs to catch the ship departing from Honduras in a couple of days en route to Texas in order to claim it. However, after he is stalked by a man who subsequently tries to kill him, Joe decides to take the first cargo ship out instead. Unfortunately, this particular ship has a captain and first mate who share a sinister agenda that doesn't coincide with taking on passengers like Joe. And they are determined to get rid of him one way or another. Now rather than reveal any more I will just say that, although this movie was rather short (60 minutes) it still managed to maintain my interest for the most part. Admittedly, it had a grade-B look to it but the acting was adequate and having an attractive actress like Phyllis Brooks (as "Nita Paxton") certainly didn't hurt in any way. In any case, while it certainly didn't win any Academy Awards for that particular year, I thought this movie was good enough for a rainy day and I have rated it accordingly. Average.

From 1944, Dangerous Passage is a B film starring Robert Lowery, Phyllis Brooks, John Eldredge, and Jack La Rue.

Joe Beck (Lowery) is living in Central America when he learns he has inherited $200,000 ($3 million today) from his grandfather. He's in a rush to get to Galveston, Texas, and after being assaulted, he's in a bigger rush and takes a ship that night. There was a better ship, but it leaves the next day, and he's not waiting around.

It's apparent while on board that he's not wanted, but he can't figure out what's going on. He meets the lovely Nita, who is close with one man, Dawson, a steward, while another man, Vaughn (Eldredge) wants to marry her. Then an "accident" on board nearly kills him.

Not a bad story, with the main character dealing with a hidden agenda on board ship and people who want to steal his documents and cheat him out of his inheritance. William Berke, the director, does a good job with a small budget.

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.

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.