Yes it is certainly nothing new that these German Edgar Wallace movies from the 1960s and 1970s always include a fair dose of humor and this one here takes it to the next level. Some of the supporting characters are written in such a way that it almost has a Theo Lingen touch of comedy and I am not only talking about the very final scene here of course. The sound effects are very much over the top as are the ways in which people theatrically die and occasionally they even make fun of the dramatic music. And honestly, I have to say that I think all this is pretty positive. But this is not because it adds a whole lot to the film, but because the dramatic and crime action in here is fairly uninteresting. The hunchback mentioned in the title is really just a minor character looking at how he does not have a lot of screen time. The real antagonist for almost the entire film is a Kevin Spacey lookalike. And back to the hunchback, his costume looks also pretty bad, although this may have been even intended in the sense of comedy once again as well. Director is Alfred Vohrer and he made several other Edgar Wallace films, not just this one from 50 years ago. The cast has not too many big names this time compared to other films from the series that have sometimes 3 or more actors that are still known today here in Germany. All in all, I give "Der Bucklige von Soho" a thumbs-down. I was not impressed by it, apart from some weirdly funny moments occasionally. Also the James Bond references feel very much off the mark if not copied uninterestingly.
Review of Der Bucklige von Soho
