Dick Barton Strikes Back

this was the second film in the Dick Barton boxed set.It is better than Dick Barton secret Agent because it would be virtually impossible for it to be worse.The location shots are a big plus but the silly plot is almost terminal boredom.What is worse the noise emitted by the machine at the climax sounds like a police siren and goes on and on.It gave me a headache so i had to double the disc speed so i could not its incessant wailing on the soundtrack.the fight scenes are not very well orchestrated.It is rather strange that apart from the 3 leads no other actors names are shown with the front credits.Perhaps they asked that this be done to spare their blushes.I have one more to view.I hope it gets better.

Very Early Hammer Cheapie when the Newly-Born Studio was Floundering About in a Number of Genres. In this one Hammer Dumbs-Down Popular Radio Hero Barton to a Comedy-Adventure with Copious Amounts of Slapstick and Bad Mugging. Certainly Made for a Juvenile Audience. It's Lively, if Nothing Else, and Manages a Fast-Pace both in Montage and Dialog. This Type of Speedy Line-Delivery is Reminiscent of Screw-Ball Comedies from Hollywood. They also Borrow the Style and Tone of the Serials. Most of the Action is Fisticuffs with a Couple of Car Romps and Bit on the Sea. The Studio Saw the Error of Their Ways and the Sequels are Much Better. Not Much to Offer Except Nostalgia for those that Lived Through the Early Years of the Brit. Hero. Most of those Fans will be Disappointed with this Entry but can Look Forward to Better Movies Ahead.

The second of Hammer's short-lived Dick Barton series anticipates their sci-fiers of the mid-fifties, and being a film there's much more action than talk. It also benefits from extensive locations, leading up to a vigorous punch-up on - of all places - the Blackpool Tower; which is being used to transmit death rays!

I was finally able to see this in a VERY nice three-film boxed DVD set of Dick Barton Hammer films from the late 40s. The first two (D.B. Special Agent, and D. B. At Bay) were both pretty bleak. So, I went into the final film with no great expectations. I was REALLY shocked by how good it was. The film is greatly strengthened by some incredible location filming, especially the extended scenes atop the Blackpool tower. My personal favorite moment was the bandleader directing a real packed dance hall full of revelers. It gave the "Dick must save the world!" storyline a bit of added significance to see a bit of documentary Humphrey Jennings-like texture thrown in. The story itself, about a new "sonic" weapon that can kill whole towns with pure sound, was clever too...Four stars! Oh, yes, and the villain has a harpsichord; this is always a nice touch!