Storyline

U.S. narcotics agent Charles Sturgis trails international dope smuggler Frank McNally by following his reluctant accomplice, Gina Broger, through the "pickup alleys" of New York, London, Lisbon, Rome, Naples and Athens. When Gina is finally arrested by Interpol, she helps Sturgis trace McNally and his $3,000,000 consignment back to New York.—Les Adams

Plot Keywords

fbi agent, drug dealer, courier, accomplice, sea captain, police captain, dark, suspenseful, new york city, london, scotland yard, apartment, lisbon, portugal, rome, drug smuggling, investigation, americans abroad, informing, murder, travel, pursuit, revenge, 1950s

Short Review

Victor Mature plays a cop who hunts down a dope smuggling ring. The film wants to be a hard hitting expose about the drug underworld, but the film comes off as very dated and corny. It doesn't help either to have the wooden Mature in the lead, nor does it lend credibility to have the suave Trevor Howard as the evil dope smuggler. However, in the film's favor, Anita Ekberg, is quite good in what is probably the only non-Fellini role I've seen her in, and director John Gilling, who I've never really heard of before, brings a fair amount of style and atmosphere to what is a pretty corny script that desperately wants to be something as tough and gritty as "The French Connection," which by the way I was thinking there was going to be a moment where I could say that "The French Connection" ripped off this film during the scene where they strip a car and say they've looked everywhere but the rocker panels because there is a moment in this film when someone says just about the same thing when they are searching a ship, except in this film they don't look in the spot mentioned. But I digress. Overall, despite another stiff performance by the rarely good Mature, this film manages to be entertaining if not particularly credible. Produced by Albert R. Broccoli, who's a few years later go on to produce the James Bond franchise and change the face of action films forever.

Trailer

Streaming Service

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