Onlinewsma
Absolutely Brilliant!
Kidskycom
It's funny watching the elements come together in this complicated scam. On one hand, the set-up isn't quite as complex as it seems, but there's an easy sense of fun in every exchange.
Matho
The biggest problem with this movie is it’s a little better than you think it might be, which somehow makes it worse. As in, it takes itself a bit too seriously, which makes most of the movie feel kind of dull.
MARIO GAUCI
The same year that BULLDOG DRUMMOND STRIKES BACK (1934) emerged from Hollywood, Britain supplied its own adventure for the character (incarnated by Ralph Richardson) created by H.C. "Sapper" McNeile, namely THE RETURN OF BULLDOG DRUMMOND – in which he was pitted, as in the 1929 BULLDOG DRUMMOND, against his frequent antagonist Carl Peterson. A year later, a spoof (note my review of STRIKES BACK, which was itself something of a lampoon!) was produced – also in Britain – and, interestingly, Richardson here changed sides and essayed the chief villain role! Anyway, the narrative – on which the author was himself involved! – begins with the real Drummond, played by one Atholl Fleming, being put out of action after he has promised leading lady Fay Wray (in a brief U.K. stint) his help; partly to blame for this indisposition, star Jack Hulbert – pining for the thrills that are Drummond's bread-and-butter – requests to offer his services but, when he comes face to face with Wray, decides to take the case (since he had been asked by the sleuth himself to temporarily impersonate him!). Also on hand is Drummond's sidekick Algy (played by Hulbert's younger brother Claude!), who is against their getting involved further…but, when the heroine is kidnapped, he joins "Bulldog Jack" (incidentally, the film was bafflingly retitled ALIAS BULLDOG DRUMMOND for the U.S.!) in pursuit.As it turns out, this is guilty of the same criticism with respect to plot that I leveled at the Ronald Colman vehicles which preceded its viewing: Wray is in the care of a grandfather, whose forgery skills are sought by Richardson in order to replace the jewels adorning the statue of an Indian goddess inside the British Museum. While Jack Hulbert does not make for the most sympathetic lead (he had earlier starred in another highly-regarded, but unfortunately only partially available, comedy-thriller by the same director: the 1931 version of THE GHOST TRAIN, whose remake – also by Forde! – made 10 years later I own and have reviewed), the film maintains a good balance between delivering laughs and creating suspense. Also notable here are the settings – as mentioned, the climax occurs in the British Museum (to where the criminals gain access through the lid of an ancient tomb!), while Richardson's hide-out is in a disused branch of the London Underground (he even escapes by assuming control of a train, but is naturally routed by the intrepid hero) – and the editing (including judicious use of overlapping dialogue and cross-cutting).To get back to THE RETURN OF BULLDOG DRUMMOND for a minute, I chose not to watch it at this juncture because I have a few more of the character's adventures (from his Hollywood run of B-movies) to go through – and, in any case, the three I did check out had earned a spot on the "Wonders In The Dark" poll of the all-time top 3000 films (even if I do not agree with its ranking this the highest)
MartinHafer
I would love to know the background for this film, as I simply cannot understand the reason such a plot was chosen. You see, this really isn't a Bulldog Drummond film. While Drummond (Atholl Fleming) is in the film, he's only in it a short time before he's injured. Then, another man (Jack Hulbert) poses as Drummond to complete the case! Now such a clumsy plot device like this MIGHT have made sense if Fleming had regularly played the part of Drummond but had commitments that made it impossible to complete the film with him. But Fleming never played this character before or after and I can't see why they just didn't have him or Hulbert play Bulldog Drummond and be done with it. Perhaps it just seemed like a good idea at the time! The film is a bit like a traditional Drummond film and a bit and not. While there is a mystery and a kidnapped damsel (Fay Wray, the 'hero' in the film is far less heroic--and a lot less macho. He and Algy both bungle about and somehow stumble upon a solution despite themselves. How anyone could mistake him for Drummond is beyond me, but it's all good fun (aside from a particularly bad performance by Claude Hulbert as Algy--yecch!) and a reasonably good entry into the series. By the way, Bulldog Drummond is one of the most inexplicable characters in film history. While the films were obviously very successful because so many were made, the number of people who played this part is huge--and they never had any one actor who was the definitive Drummond. In 22 films, 13 different actors played this part! One of the best, sadly, was Walter Pidgeon. While not at all English, the film was better than most and quite enjoyable. Ronald Colman was pretty good but only played him twice.
grafxman
** small spoiler **Bulldog's car is sabotaged and he crashes into another car on his way to a mysterious mission. As it turns out, the driver of the other car is a great fan of Bulldog's work and his lifestyle. So, while Bulldog is mending in the hospital, the fan agrees to take on Bulldog's work for him. Thus begins an exercise in comedic silliness that only the Brits can do.It's not hysterically funny. It just has that sort of laid back, gentle, situation type humor that the Brits do better than anyone else.There is also enough tension and mystery to make all the running about worth while.I gave it the nine it deserved.
clark-9
Humorous dialog is the big plus for this film, and it's not even so-called 'British humor'. Is this a spoof or not? That's the best kind!The fast pace combined with the typically weak early 30s British audio quality means you have to listen closely to catch a lot of the humor, but there are also visual slapstick and spoof-like moments too.Having enjoyed several of the Bulldog movies starring John Howard (and the one Ray Milland entry), this movie was especially enjoyable for its `spin' on the characters and series. Use of the London Underground helps the atmosphere and staging as well as providing some humorous references in the dialog.
