The Falcon Takes Over (1942)

“Oh, the great Falcon! I haven’t seen you in half a dozen murders!" 30 May 2020

An ex-wrestler is released from prison and starts looking for his girlfriend. Problem is that dead bodies seem to turn up wherever he goes.  The Falcon is on the case - if he can stay one step ahead of the law himself. 

Despite anything negative I may write, overall, I’ve enjoyed The Falcon Takes Over each time I’ve had the opportunity to watch it.  George Sanders is in fine form, Lynn Bari and Allen Jenkins make solid sidekicks, the movie moves at a fantastic pace and is never dull, and there are plenty of twists and turns along the way.  Sounds pretty good so far, right?

But there are a couple of issues I have that put a damper on things.  First, there are large gaps in the plot that are never filled in or explained.  Based on what we see, there’s simply no way the Falcon (or the police for that matter) would know what move to make next without making wild, but accurate, guesses.  A lot of it just doesn’t make sense.  Second, there’s Helen Gilbert as Diane Kenyon.  I”m not sure when I’ve seen a supposed femme fatale that I was more unimpressed with.  She annoyed me more than anything else.  But in the end, The Falcon Takes Over is so generally fun and likeable that it’s fairly easy to overlook these issues and just enjoy.

One more thing, I find it odd that there are only five credited actors in the cast.  Turhan Bay, George Cleveland, and even Ward Bond (whose Moose Malloy is at the center of everything that happens) don’t make the “credit cut”.  Odd.

6/10