BLAKE OF SCOTLAND YARD (1937) * It's cool that in the old days they gave arch-villains names like The Scorpion, but with such wanton creativity comes also no small amount of responsibility. Why does he have a lobster claw, for example, and shouldn't he at least also have a tail? There are some ok things about it, all typical of the era: they don't feel like they have to have music going in every scene (although things eventually stay slow long enough that you reconsider whether or not this is a virtue), and the mug shot faces that relentlessly overact in the silent film style. Other than, ahem, all that there's nothing there. Some guy develops a weapon called the death ray for the betterment of world peace, some other guys steal it, they try to beat each other up, they lose each other, they wonder where each other went, they try to beat each other up again... Some of this can be excused due to the original serial nature of what's now presented as a unified whole, but didn't they ever expect anything back then? Big time detective knocks gangster onto floor of other room, then wanders in behind him without his guard up. Übergangsters plot theft without considering getaway route, etc. Plus all the good guys are so old, didn't they have pensions back then either? It's not long enough to sustain an entire refreshing nap, but it's certain to recommend one under any circumstances.
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