«…But if I`m wrong, I`ll apologize» "Ghost Raiders" - it is difficult to miss such a name. There is no mystery in the film. In Colon, the main port of Panama, criminals are operating, letting them go to the bottom of the court for insurance. Three ships, along with cargo and crew, are killed in two weeks. Insurance company hires private investigator Nick Carter to investigate
After that, you look forward to seeing noir. And again you are deceived in expectations: “Ghost Raiders” is an adventure comedy, but the main character does not dispose to another genre.
Nick Carter is one of the many amateur detectives of the second row, who flooded the screens in the 30s. Of his cinematic brethren, Perry Mason and Dick Tracy survived to this day, and there were Hugh “Buldog” Drummond, Filo Vance, Holy, Lonely Wolf, Mr. Moto, Charlie Chan... These roles were thrown by the best forces of Hollywood - the first Perry Mason was the most popular in his time Warren William, "Bulldog" Drummond - Ronald Colman himself, Saint - George Sanders, Mr. Moto - Peter Lorre. Needless to say, an impressive list! Vance's file was played by William Powell, Basil Rathbone, Paul Lucas... Many of the colors and details he found for Vance, Powell then uses in the famous series about the Thin Man, up to the presence of a dog: Nick Charles is everywhere accompanied by a fox terrier, Filo Vance – scotch.
Nick Carter can be called the grandfather of Perry Mason and company: John Russell Koriel invented his hero in 1886. Soon he passed the baton to other authors who wrote more than a thousand stories about the adventures of the New York detective. Becoming one of the iconic characters of popular culture, Nick Carter contributed to the popularization of detective as a genre in general. The importance of his role is evidenced by at least the mention in the story of Somerset Maugham “The Beggar”, and in the film “The Thin Man Goes Home”, fellow detective Nick Charles reads at leisure a magazine with stories about his namesake.
The latter is not surprising, since both cycles were filmed on Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer. Ghost Raiders is Jacques Turner's second film with Walter Pidgeon as Nick Carter. The best pictures of the actor – “White cargo”, “Mrs. Miniver”, “Madame Curie”, “If winter comes”, “How green was my valley” – are still ahead, but this does not mean that “the Raiders” should be written off. If you don’t take it too seriously, the film is a huge pleasure. "The Raiders" - entertainment in its pure form with a fascinating plot, including several twists, excellent dialogue and excellent acting work.
Carter played by Walter Pidgeon is a jouir and bon vivan. There are literary detectives, the same Sherlock Holmes, for whom work always comes first; our hero is not one of them. No amount of money can force him to investigate until a beautiful girl is found involved. Cora (Florence Rice) rejects the detective's courtship, but the failure does not discourage Nick - it seems that he is impossible to embarrass. Pidgeon plays a charming and self-confident impudent, while a professional of the highest class, playfully tricking criminals around his finger.
The “bulwark” origin of the main character leaves an imprint on the plot and tone of “The Raiders”. This is especially true of Al Thorez (the excellent work of Joseph Shildkraut). The villain, who has nowhere to put the stigma, fondly loves birds and unexpectedly easily succumbs to the deception of Carter, claiming that his partner Bartholomew is a psychopathic killer.
Nick Carter: "Nice work, Beeswax. How does it feel to be crazy?
Bartholomew: "I didn't notice any difference."
To be fair, Bartholomew - an ever-wary man with pockets full of bees - does make a strange impression. Well-played Walter Pidgeon and Donald Mick work in stark contrast. Tall carefree handsome Nick constantly gets into various alterations, from which he rescues a tiny partner.
Carter, Al Thorez and Bartholomew are the central characters of Ghost Raiders, but we can not ignore other heroes - the ill-fated owner of a shipping company, forced to commit a crime (Cecil Calloway), a dull bodyguard boxer (Nat Pendleton), as well as a sultry beauty who does not understand a word of English (Steffy Doon), which does not prevent her from quickly finding a common language with Nick Carter.
“Ghost raiders” do not grab the stars from the sky, but if you want to just relax, having enjoyed an easy sight, you can not find a better option.
Good to see you!
7 out of 10