Phantom Raiders (1940)

Excellent but underrated film

It's fun, it's light, [but] it has a hard time when its tries to get heavy.

To all those who have watched it: I hope you enjoyed it as much as I do.

Not sure how, but this is easily one of the best movies all summer. Multiple levels of funny, never takes itself seriously, super colorful, and creative.

The second of three Nick Carter movies (all are middling and forgettable) again directed by the talented B-Movie auteur. This series is an MGM production and includes many talented character actors and all three films have a "going to war" prelude plot.The velvet voiced, skirt chasing screen adaptation of the Pulp Detective is so whimsical and heavily propagandized that it serves its heavy message with a lot of sugar and very little else. It is all done in a professional A-Studio way and has a minimum of entertainment value and a maximum of hokum. This was also the most studio-bound of the three with every scene obviously on the back-lot.There are three recurring themes in these justly forgotten relics. Carter's lechery, sidekick, and his fight against the impending American involvement in WWII. It does have an attraction as to the movie machine and its value at shaping public opinion, as an icon of 1939-40 silly sensibilities and what was accepted as good family fun with a not so subtle message of Nationalism.

***SPOILERS*** The high flying Walter Piedgon is NYC ace detective Nick Carter who gets himself involved in an elaborate and deadly insurance fraud scheme engineered by US gangster Al Taurez, Joseph Schildkraut,south, way south, of the border in Panama.After having a number of ships's valuable cargoes, which are nothing but a bunch of sandbags, heavily insured Taruez has, from the comfort of his Colon Panama office, through high frequency radio singles set off bombs planted in the ships and have them blown up together with their crew on the high seas!It's Nick together with his side kick the Bee-Man Bartholomew, Donald Meeks, as well as his Panamanian girlfriend B-girl Delorous (Steffi Duna), who doesn't speak a word of proper English, who eventually solves the case. But not after some half dozen ships are sent to the bottom by Taurez and his hoods. Nick who at first didn't want to take on the case since he was on vacation at the time changed his mind when he spotted, after she had it out with him, pretty Cara Barnes, Florence Riuce, working at the local Morris Shipping Company. In fact it was Cora who was unknowingly used by Taurez in providing him with the information of what ships,and how heavily insured they were, were being sent out to sea. Where he then had his men plant explosives on so that he he could later,with high frequency radio waves, detonate them and collect, with an insider inside the shipping company, the insurance on them!***SPOILERS*** Nick in finding the contraption that Taurez is using to electronically blow up the targeted ships has it disarmed and tricks Taurez into getting on the one that's next to be blown up.Taurez, with Nick holding a gun on him, realizing that he's cooked if he doesn't get off the ship before midnight the time its set to explode breaks down and admits his crimes not knowing that the ship that he and Nick were on was no longer in danger of exploding! What he also should have realized is that Nick wouldn't have put his own life as well as everyone on board in danger if he knew that in fact would happen!

Though he's the title character, Welter Pigeon plays a back seat to the villain. The villain is played smoothly by the superb Joseph Schildkraut. The rest of the cast is fun. Nat Pendleton is Schildkraut's bodyguard. Donald Meek is Pigeon's sidekick -- and a beekeeper, to boot. Florence Rice is very good in what looks like a sympathetic role, and is, though she's initially on the wrong side of the law.What makes this stand out is its plot. We see this at the very start; so I'm giving nothing away: Schildkraut is blowing up ships at sea to collect on their insurance. It's shocking to think of such cold-blooded behavior. But to underline the heinous nature of his crime, we see the captain and some crew members chatting just before theirs is blown to bits.This isn't the greatest of Jacques Tourneur movies. But his masterly touch is evident. Schildkraut is often photographed in profile and generally partially in shadow. He reminds one of a streamlined, custom-made sports car of the time. He is stylish -- and almost impossibly cruel.

Phantom Raiders was the second (the first being 1939 Nick Carter - Master Detective) and the last film directed by Jacques Tourneur about the adventures of a popular detective Nick Carter whose character was created still in the end of the 19th century and who served as a protagonist of several films before this one during the silent era. Here yet again Walter Pigeon plays the main part of invincible detective and is joined once more by his peculiar assistant Bartholomew known as the Bee-man (hilariously played by Donald Meek). They were destined to reunite only once again the same year as Phantom Raiders to film Sky Murder but this time under the direction of George Seitz. In Phantom Raiders Nick Carter answers the duty call while on vacation and is sent to Panama to investigate the mysterious sinking of several cargo ships near the Panama coast where he is joined by his eccentric assistant Bartholomew who as usually provides sometimes a valuable help and on other occasions creates havoc though always remaining handy. Soon they discover that a nightclub owner Al Taurez is involved, but very soon our heroes discover to their disappointment that he's a bit tougher then appears to be at first sight. A little weaker than its predecessor - Nick Carter-Master Detective, The Phantom Raiders is still a decent viewing experience. 6/10