This post World War II espionage thriller focuses on the search for a book which lists the names of allies who betrayed their country to gain a profit by selling secrets to the Nazi's. William Gargan tells his story from a hospital bed just in case something happens to him of how he went on a mission to find this book and all the dangers he encounters. A bunch of bizarre characters (one of them an unrecognizable John Banner of "Hogan's Heroes", another being two of the favorite of all TV moms, Marjorie Lord and Barbara Billingsley in obvious femme fatale parts) pop in and out. He has guns pulled on him, but then the person holding the gun is shot so the second shooter can pull a gun on Gargan. It's complex, darkly shadowed and intense, all over in just under 65 minutes, the way B movies ought to be. Ralph Byrd ("Dick Tracy") plays the police lieutenant Gargan manages to fool. I wouldn't call this the most sensible or easy to follow plotlines, but it's a film that with repeat viewings can provide plenty of intrigue and thrills and might begin to make more sense. At any rate, it's a nice minor B thrller/film noir that is aided by some nice photography and superb editing, and went to show that just because peace was declared didn't mean that the war was officially over.
Review of The Argyle Secrets
