Warner Brothers leading man Wayne Morris went across the pond to make "The Gelignite Gang," a nifty little mystery thriller about notorious British criminals who use dynamite to blow safes and a pawn shop proprietor who keeps the jewelry on ice until he can unload it. Jimmy Baxter (Wayne Morris) and his partner John Rutherford (Patrick Holt of "Night of the Prowler") run a private detective firm, Anglo-American Investigations, and they have posted a reward for information about these dastardly criminals who are prepared to kill anybody who interferes with skullduggery. No sooner have they advertised the reward than the head waiter at "The Green Dragon" rushed off to a call box to take advantage of it. Unfortunately, before he can spill the beans, he is shot and killed. This tightly made little black & white gem has more depth than most Brit B-movies, and Brandon Fleming's screenplay contains a red herring or two to spice up the shenanigans. Morris doesn't break a sweat during these antics, but he has the hood sense to keep Scotland Yard in the loop. Arthur Young plays a sinister pawnbroker who has assembled a gang of street beggars who play an essential role in the robberies. Veteran director Francis Searle shared the helm with future Hammer director Terence Fisher, but it is anybody's guess who handled the lion's share of the chores. Nevertheless, this nimble crime saga never runs out of momentum, and the performances are solid.
Review of The Dynamiters
