Vice Raid (1959)

Too much of everything

The storyline feels a little thin and moth-eaten in parts but this sequel is plenty of fun.

This movie tries so hard to be funny, yet it falls flat every time. Just another example of recycled ideas repackaged with women in an attempt to appeal to a certain audience.

One of the worst ways to make a cult movie is to set out to make a cult movie.

Vice Raid (1960) ** (out of 4)Crime boss Vince Malone (Brad Dexter) deals in various illegal activities but prostitution is his number one money maker. The only problem is vice squad member Whitey Brandon (Richard Coogan) who will stop at nothing to bring him down. Malone gets the idea of sending in a beautiful woman named Carol (Mamie Van Doren) to get Brandon kicked off the force but once off the force he finds more ways to get to the underground. VICE RAID is like many crime pictures from this era as it features the "Dragnet" type narration and a story that doesn't throw too many twists. In fact, the entire story pretty much plays out just like you'd expect it to and the lack of any real drama or tension keeps it from being much better than it could have been. The best thing about the picture is that it contains some rather frank dialogue involving teenage girls being abused by these smut magazines and the lowdown of prostitution is also talked about rather freely. The performances are another plus with Coogan doing a nice job in the role of the vice squad leader who finds himself on the wrong side of the law. I thought Coogan was quite believable in the part and made for a good heavy. Dexter was also quite good as the bad guy and we also get nice work from Barry Atwater and Frank Gerstle. This here is probably the best I've seen Van Doren, which might not be saying too much but I thought she handled her own quite well. Carol Nugent is rather memorable in the role of the sister. The biggest problem is certainly the screenplay but director Edward L. Cahn never adds any energy or life to the picture. In the end, VICE RAID is a decent crime picture but there's certainly nothing about it that makes it a must see.

This is notable for the no singing, no dancing, no wiggling outing for the usually Vivacious Mamie Van Doren. Here she is more Thespian than usual and gets to show some Acting chops. But for those looking to find sleaze and "Girlie Mag" cheesecake will be disappointed.It is a very tame and unremarkable Movie that treats its subject matter with Docu-Style blandness and never opens up to allow any real taste of the lurid backdrop that it shamelessly exploits. There is nary a scantily clad Female Form to be had.Dull and barely interesting it is one of those low-budget, trash Flicks that can't even be faithful to its picturesque Premise. It contains a Scene or two that almost approaches its intent with some sharp Violence, but for the most part it is only watchable for a good try at playing it somewhat straight for Mamie, but not much else. She does manage to don a bathing suit and a trademark shiny dress.

A vice detective goes up against a call girl (Mamie VanDoren) and loses in court. But once unemployed, the cop starts handling investigations his own way.I really liked this film. As a historian who focuses on organized crime, I liked the idea of the "octopus" and "syndicate" without the film having to say Mafia or resorting to Italian-American stereotypes. While the Mafia probably was the dominant force at this time (the 1960s), they were hardly alone.The subject matter was also handled really well. Although the story centers on prostitution, it was done in a clean manner -- no sex, no nudity, no vulgar language. There were some slinky outfits, but nothing racy. Today, I doubt they could make this film without plenty of sex in it, and I much prefer this version. I liked it even more because of the narration.

Syndicate crime boss Malone (Brad Dexter) wants to get do-gooder vice cop Whitey Brandon (Richard Coogan) out of his hair so he sets up a rather intricate plot of framing him. Malone gets "model" Carol Hudson (Mamie Van Doren) to come into town and lie that Brandon tried to extort her during a bust. Thankfully, the department is prone to believing the testimony of floozies over their most decorated cop and Brandon is fired. So he sets out to get his revenge and receives an unlikely ally in Carol after her teenage sister is raped by one of Malone's hoods. This was actually my first Van Doren film and I enjoyed it. She is definitely a looker and you can bet the soundtrack fills with swooning jazz when she enters the picture. She is also pretty decent as an actress. Also of note is Juli Reding, who has one scene early on as a "model" who is more than proud to show her magazine work to Brandon ("Close it up or you might catch cold.") Coogan, looking a bit like Robert Stack, is good in the lead, if a little stiff. Director Edward L. Cahn definitely won't be accused of doing anything inventive during the proceedings, although there is a nice dummy fall during the final shootout.