Sunday, August 28, 2011

Pursuit to Algiers

Sherlock Holmes and Dr. Watson are vacationing and Scotland when they receive a very strange and cryptic message inviting them to a private meet. There they meet a secret group trying to smuggle the prince of the fictional country of Rovinia back to his homeland, his life being in danger following the assassination of his father the king a week earlier. The group wants Holmes to escort him on his trip until he is in safe hands. Travelling by sea, Watson and Holmes meet an assortment of suspicious and deadly sorts on their trip to Algiers where they are to meet their contacts. "Pursuit to Algiers" is a fun and minor entry in the Sherlock Holmes series featuring Basil Rathbone and Nigel Bruce. Both men are entertaining again in their roles as are the supporting characters who play like cheap knockoffs of the Warner Brothers Sydney Greenstreet, Peter Lorre crew. The movie is only an hour long which makes for brisk entertaining and though the film does seem lacking especially for its running length, the conclusion is particularly surprising and satisfying.