The Saint Meets the Tiger (1943)

Absolutely Brilliant!

At first rather annoying in its heavy emphasis on reenactments, this movie ultimately proves fascinating, simply because the complicated, highly dramatic tale it tells still almost defies belief.

The story-telling is good with flashbacks.The film is both funny and heartbreaking. You smile in a scene and get a soulcrushing revelation in the next.

Easily the biggest piece of Right wing non sense propaganda I ever saw.

Jean Gillie (sp?) makes this movie. She's too cute for words with her gung ho attitude. She's not really believable IMO. She's just too calm in the face of danger given her background, but it's fiction after all, why not have a really strong female character to match up with the Saint.A lot of the supporting cast is pretty dullGeorge Sanders is better as the Saint IMO. Hugh does OK - he's charming and competent enoughThe plot is weak like most Saint movies. I don't care really as long as the dialog entertains, and it does.I admit to having a real love for the early Saint movies for their totally relaxing experience - the violence is comic when there is violence, and you always just assume the Saint will manage to come out alive. Even though the violence is comic, the body count is high in this movie. Heck, I can't even remember how many people get killed (or one assumes their wounds are fatal.)I would say, if you liked the Sanders Saint movie, this one might appeal to you. If you like comic-mysteries from this era and don't mind weak plots you will like this. I think most people just have to like Jean Gillie here, what's to not like?

This movie is fast on action as the Saint finds out about stolen gold from a man murdered on his door step. It has low budget RKO written all over it during this wartime release. Because of this, there was no follow up to what could have enriched this film series.That is the addition of Jean Gillie as a love interest for the Saint. This is her only time as Pat Holme who is a character in the novels. It actually looks at times that there are some real sparks between her Hugh Sinclair who is taking his second turn as the Saint here.This followup to The Saint Takes a Vacation is actually a pretty much standard detective film other than that. Because of a dispute between the creator of the Saint, Leslie Charteris and RKO, this movie completed filming in June, 1941 and was not released until 1943. It is also RKO's last actual Saint Production as RKO's THe Saint Returns was actually produced by Britains Hammer Productions.Sadly Jean Gillie would die a few years later on pneumonia at age 33.

This entry begins with an intriguing opening--a man is found dead on Simon's doorstep and immediately Simon calls an inspector who, as usual, suspects Simon is holding out and knows more than he cares to reveal about the murder of a well-known bookie. Inspector Teal also has a confrontational moment with Simon's innocent butler."But I don't know anything," says Simon's butler."If you say that again, I'll arrest you on suspicion." Simon refers to his butler as a man who "sees the world through crime-colored glasses." The attempts at humor are as dull as the script.Unfortunately, HUGH SINCLAIR as "The Saint", has none of the charisma of either a George Sanders or a Tom Conway, which is a huge drawback and JEAN GILLIE is so-so as the romantic interest. Her instant dislike of Simon is a bit overdone. "I didn't recognize you without your halo," she tells him by way of apology.Nothing much happens that hasn't happened in a dozen other "Saint" movies as Simon attempts to find stolen gold and expose a crime boss called The Tiger. "Crooks work in the most select circles these days," he says, on the trail of gold thieves, while he moves through upper crust society.Once again, Inspector Teal comes close to arresting Simon for murder in a cat-and-mouse game. All the other familiar ingredients are here too, with Simon making escapes from the bad guys in incredible fashion. But I was already weary of the plot by the time it got to the smuggler's cave of gold. The revelation of The Tiger is only a modest surprise.Summing up: Moves quickly, but only moderately satisfying for "Saint" fans.

Altogether not too bad a Saint entry, the big problems being it was low budget and the annoying decomposition of the film when the '50's TV dupe was made. Unfortunately this can give you the feeling that by mistake you're watching Dick Barton, another (ultra) cheapo British sleuth series I like. I take it the original is lost? To make up for it they did their British best with some atmospheric sets, nice Templar repartee and a competent story.I haven't seen this film for over 20 years now or read Meet the Tiger for over 30 but it seemed familiar ie faithful to Charteris's first Saint story written in 1929. I can't remember Inspector Teal in it however but all of the stalwart British cast work well together in an effective potboiler. The incidence of a man murdered on the Saint's doorstep leads him and valet (Mr Memory from the 39 Steps) - and Teal - to a nest of savage gold smugglers in a quaint English seaside town. There's a pretty frank love interest and many twists and turns and multiple plot lines going on to keep you guessing how it will all turn out, although if you know your Saint you know the ultimate outcome with the opening titles. Hugh Sinclair was not my idea of Simon Templar - he was chunkily adequate - but at this distance I wish he'd gone on to make a dozen or so more I'd yet to see!So, imho well worth watching for fans and completists alike, especially if you can get over the bad condition of the print.