German director Richard Eichberg's British crime thriller "Night Birds," starring Jack Raine and Muriel Angelus, boasts several lively scenes interspersed with loquacious expository dialogue scenes. You can tell that this is an early talkie because the actors rattle off lots of lines as if they were in a stage production. Nevertheless, this entertaining yarn about Scotland Yard Detective Sergeant Harry Cross (Jack Raine of "Rogue's March") and his investigation of an evening robbery by armed thieves dressed as gentlemen that crashed a lavish dinner party of the wealthy and affluent gets off to an energetic start. Afterward, the momentum slackens occasionally as scenarists Victor Kendall of "Atlantis" & Miles Malleson of "Thief of Bagdad" introduce the cops and the robbers as well as those involved with them—wives and girlfriends—and they flesh out the narrative with characterization and intrigue. Two of the three criminals aren't very shrewd. One leaves his calling card—small throwing knives--that he doesn't retrieve from the scene of the crime, and he is the culprit who slew the doorman at the mansion. Meantime, aside from this murderous fiend, the identity of the criminal mastermind nicknamed 'Flash Jack' is the first thing that Cross must uncover. After Cross recovers a five pound note from the crime scene, he heads to a night club where gambling is permitted to launch his probe. He thinks that the hoodlums may be hanging out at a place named Charlo's. As it turns out, the owner of this club, Charlo Bianci (Franklyn Bellamy of "Member of the Jury"), is allowed to operate as long as he provides Scotland Yard with information about crimes. Cross warns Charlo that he is walking on thin ice because he has proved his worth as an informant. Later, Cross romances a go-between the criminal mastermind and the gang, Dolly Mooreland (Muriel Angelus of "Safari"), who dances at the casino. Dolly assures two of the criminals that she will have Cross wrapped around her finger in no time. At the same time, a competing detective, Deacon Lake (Jameson Thomas of "Mister Dynamite") snoops about not only the casino but also the crime. Furthermore, Lake persuades Cross' wife, Mary (Eve Gray of "Moulin Rouge"), so he can gain some insight into Cross' strategy. Already, Cross and his wife have had words about a strand of hair that she found on Cross' wardrobe that came from his flirtatious interviews with Dolly.
Although we don't see anybody die, Eichberg depicts some questionable acts that the censors might have objected to, such as our resourceful detective beating up a criminal out of sight and later the detective smashing out a window and then adhering tape to hold the shards after he scores the window with a knife. You know from the start who to cheer for because Eichberg and his writers paint Harry Cross with sympathetic strokes. The newlywed detective assures his wife that if he cracks this case that he might be able to buy them not only a house but also a motor car. He promises to get Mary some dresses, too. Meantime, he struggles to peel back the layers of deceit and get to the bottom of the crime and the identity of the notorious Flash Jack who has terrorized high society with his depredations. The production values are strong, and the cast is good. If you enjoy old-fashioned British mystery thrillers, this one is worth watching. The hero's Peter Pan efforts to thwart a crime during a show by springing into the balcony by means of wires attached to him is rather spectacular. Some of the dialogue is clever as well as naughty. The scene where Cross meets Dolly in her dressing room after a mouse terrifies her is fraught with sexual innuendo. Depending on your individual efforts at unmasking the criminal mastermind, you may find it either obvious or difficult. Altogether, despite it's obvious age, "Night Birds" is a lot of fun.
Although we don't see anybody die, Eichberg depicts some questionable acts that the censors might have objected to, such as our resourceful detective beating up a criminal out of sight and later the detective smashing out a window and then adhering tape to hold the shards after he scores the window with a knife. You know from the start who to cheer for because Eichberg and his writers paint Harry Cross with sympathetic strokes. The newlywed detective assures his wife that if he cracks this case that he might be able to buy them not only a house but also a motor car. He promises to get Mary some dresses, too. Meantime, he struggles to peel back the layers of deceit and get to the bottom of the crime and the identity of the notorious Flash Jack who has terrorized high society with his depredations. The production values are strong, and the cast is good. If you enjoy old-fashioned British mystery thrillers, this one is worth watching. The hero's Peter Pan efforts to thwart a crime during a show by springing into the balcony by means of wires attached to him is rather spectacular. Some of the dialogue is clever as well as naughty. The scene where Cross meets Dolly in her dressing room after a mouse terrifies her is fraught with sexual innuendo. Depending on your individual efforts at unmasking the criminal mastermind, you may find it either obvious or difficult. Altogether, despite it's obvious age, "Night Birds" is a lot of fun.