Director Peter Godfrey remains best known for cranking out B pictures, and THE LONE WOLF SPY HUNT of 1939 deserves plaudits as an above average B.
Warren William, the rather suave and elegant detective cum thief Michael Lanyard, has quite a few tricks up his nimble fingers, and no safe is safe from him. Add to that two beautiful women in the shapes of Ida Lupino and Rita Hayworth, and not much can go wrong, even if the latter neither sings nor gets to go on one of her famous dancing jigs (too quiet for suspicious me... and I was right, she was a criminal!) Hayworth operates under the cunning mind of master spy and bandit Ralph Morgan, a truly sleek top villain.
Finally, nose poker Virginia Weidler, apparently William's daughter and forever trying to play the detective - sometimes annoyingly, sometimes adding to the fun.
Very good screenplay by Jonathan Latimer, with sharp repartee and cracking action, and excellent cinematography by Allen Siegler (to my embarrassment, I had never heard of either man before).
Definitely worth your time. 8/10.
Warren William, the rather suave and elegant detective cum thief Michael Lanyard, has quite a few tricks up his nimble fingers, and no safe is safe from him. Add to that two beautiful women in the shapes of Ida Lupino and Rita Hayworth, and not much can go wrong, even if the latter neither sings nor gets to go on one of her famous dancing jigs (too quiet for suspicious me... and I was right, she was a criminal!) Hayworth operates under the cunning mind of master spy and bandit Ralph Morgan, a truly sleek top villain.
Finally, nose poker Virginia Weidler, apparently William's daughter and forever trying to play the detective - sometimes annoyingly, sometimes adding to the fun.
Very good screenplay by Jonathan Latimer, with sharp repartee and cracking action, and excellent cinematography by Allen Siegler (to my embarrassment, I had never heard of either man before).
Definitely worth your time. 8/10.