The Floating Dutchman (1952) watch online HD

This is a swift and straightforward crime thriller, adapted from a novel by Nicholas Bentley. When a corpse turns up in the Thames, it turns out to be the eponymous Dutchman. Scotland Yard figures it links to Sidney Tafter, a nightclub owner and suspected jewel thief, so they send in Dermot Walsh undercover to join his gang, which he does in jig time, while romancing hostess Mary Germaine.

It all moves ahead at a good clip thanks to a script and direction by Vernon Sewell, and there is a bit of excitement towards the end. One peculiarity are a couple of character names, doubtless borrowed from the novel: Miss Germain's character is named Rose Reid... and Tafter's chief henchman is called Snow White. Given Bentley's sideline in cartooning -- he is best known for his illustrations to T.S. Elliot's OLD POSSUM'S BOOK OF PRACTICAL CATS, this was probably a theme of his.

The floating Dutchman of the title is found deceased in the Pool of London and this sets off an undercover operation by Scotland Yard to catch the gang responsible who are led by jewel thief Victor Skinner who also runs a night club. A policeman Alexander James easily insinuates himself into Skinner's company and then the gang itself. A hostess at the club, Rose Reid, falls for James and complicates matters as one of gang, the fearsomely named Snow White, has carried a torch for Rose for a while.

It is a standard cop going undercover tale with no surprises until the ironic ending. Some of the location cinematography is good but the script is too talky and there is not much action. The cast do their best with the weak script but nothing rises above the routine. Amusingly the band in the night club seemed to have a penchant for Scottish folk tunes.

I expected a little more from this UK crime movie from the mid fifties. Vernon Sewell is one director whose I purchase the films, as Monty Tully, Lance Comfort, Francis Searle or Godfrey Grayson. I particularly like these thrillers from over the Channel. But this one is talkative, actionless for my taste, and the topic rather very classic. I watched it like a cow seeing a train pass by whilst eating grass. I have seen thousands like this one, and no souvenir will emerge in my memory afterwards. That's the reason why I comment it right now; before if erases itself inside my brain.

But I waited for this one since some years now, and I don't regret it. I know the "risks" being a movie buff. You may sometimes have to stand dozens of movies to catch a single one very astonishing.

Even by the standards of Merton Park this is a very routine thriller.Dermot Walsh is an undercover policeman who worms his way into a diamond smuggling gang by falsifying a prison record.Sydney Tafler,as usual plays on the wrong side of the law is caught by the police and manages to escape by asking for a glass of water.It is quite laughable.The finale such as it is mainly takes place in the dark,so you don't actually know what has happened till someone turns on the light switch.The problem is that plot is so routine that you just give up the ghost long before the end credits roll.Such a surprise when someone as experienced is the director.

I agree with the IMDb user rating which when I looked was 5.3.I awarded this film 5/10 as the star was Sydney Tafler (who is normally just a support character actor in 1950s dramas) and whose best role, in my book, was playing the chief orthopaedic physiotherapist in "Reach for the Sky" (1956), fitting on Douglas Bader's artificial legs!I imagine "The Floating Dutchman" was a "B" feature in the British cinemas of the 1950s.The whole production smacks of low budget and I did not recognise any other actor save for the short man running the bookshop, who briefly appeared in "Quiet Wedding (1940)" saying "Anybodys please" at the railway station magazine stall.

I agree with the other user above from France in his preferred choice of directors.My favourite on his list is Lance Comfort whose film "Bedelia" (1946) stars on of my favourites, Margaret Lockwood.