gridoon2024 Review of 13 Lead Soldiers

13 Lead Soldiers (1948)

Looks like it was made for ten dollars, but otherwise it's not bad

[5/10 · 13 July 2012]

Abysmal production values and deteriorated surviving prints make "13 Lead Soldiers" a chore to watch (and try to listen to, to catch all the dialogue), but otherwise it's not a bad entry in the long-running Bulldog Drummond series. The mystery is complicated enough, though a bit too similar to the previous one ("The Challenge"); it's another treasure hunt-double murder. The gimmick of Algy impersonating Hugh but still failing to impress the ladies makes for some amusing comedy. Speaking of the ladies, shapely blonde Maria Palmer easily steals the show from sweet brunette Helen Wescott. Overall, the film is worth a watch or two, but only if you don't have a problem with very, very low-budget 1940s filmmaking. ** out of 4.