Leofwine_draca
Pretty much all B-movie stars of the 1940s ended up making at least one film on behalf of the war effort, and this one is Bela Lugosi's attempt. One of the many cheapies made by poverty-row studio Monogram during the decade, this sees the former Dracula actor playing a Nazi plastic surgeon (!), come to gain revenge on the men who betrayed him. Although BLACK DRAGONS is only an hour in length, viewers will feel every second of this plodding thriller. The budget is non-existent, with the majority of the scenes taking place in someone's house; the dialogue is often absurd, and the actors interchangeable. For a thriller, it works up exactly no thrills or scares, and the only bit I genuinely liked was the climax, which reveals a fine (if a bit silly) twist in flashback.It's hard to lay blame at the door of director William Nigh, who directed dozens of films during this period, including some detective potboilers with Boris Karloff as Mr. Wong. He makes the best of what he can. It's also hard to fault Lugosi, who, despite suffering from addiction and pain at this stage of his career, is still the best thing in the film; you've gotta love his sinister persona and the dialogue he spouts on occasion. There's also a bit where he strangles somebody which is very well staged. But the rest of the cast is humdrum, enlivened only by a brief cameo from Keye Luke (one of Hollywood's most popular Chinese actors) and the appearance of Clayton Moore, better known as THE LONE RANGER, here seeming very wooden as the FBI agent. BLACK DRAGONS is a boring spy flick with only a couple of decent scenes, and it's best to pass this one up in favour of some of Lugosi's better movies.
ReelCheese
None of the critics have much good to say about it, but BLACK DRAGONS is a much better-than-expected attempt at an entirely new genre: flag-waving horror.Bela Lugosi is a mysterious man who mysteriously shows up at a renowned doctor's home, soon after which his guests start mysteriously being murdered. Could it be that they had something to hide? Could there be more to them than meets the eye? What initially fails to make much sense is creatively sorted out in a wonderfully fun B-movie manner.BLACK DRAGONS was made during the Second World War and it shows, quite painfully at times. The use of the term "Japs" will catch some contemporary viewers off guard, but it's really not that bad when you put it into the proper context. The film is clumsily patriotic, and more silly fun than scary or thrilling. Lugosi is an absolute treat, covering up murders and turning on the "Who, me?" act with ease.It's not a classic, but BLACK DRAGONS is a good, tidy black and white B-film with a certain watch-it-late-at-night appeal. Director William Nigh had a knack for turning poverty row pictures into something special. Some of his other efforts include DOOMED TO DIE and THE FATAL HOUR with another horror icon, Boris Karloff.
MartinHafer
Bela Lugosi is a real enigma. In the early 1930s, he was on top of the world after appearing in Dracula. Yet, again and again, he made lousy decisions regarding his career. Perhaps he had a bad agent, perhaps his drinking and drug use had a part in it or maybe he was just crazy. Regardless, he ruined his reputation by appearing in pretty much any film--ranging from excellent horror films (such as THE RAVEN) to big-budget flicks (like NINOTCHKA) to grade-Z flicks for the cheapest and shoddiest of studios. Interestingly enough, although he agreed to do this terrible film, he actually turned down the role that later went to Boris Karloff in FRANKENSTEIN! As for this movie, it is a very silly an horridly produced WWII propaganda film that featured a dumb plot and wretched editing. Lugosi spends much of the movie murdering saboteurs--not a bad thing at all. But at the end, we find out that he is himself a Nazi plastic surgeon and all the American-looking men he killed were actually Japanese!!!! The funniest part of this is during a flashback. You see Lugosi talking to a group of Japanese men before he changes them to American-like men. When the camera scans them, the men are clearly Asian. But, on all the other non-close-up shots, they are all VERY Western looking--many with bald heads!! They looked absolutely NOTHING like Japanese men. I suspect the plot must have undergone a re-write and this might account for the obvious mistake. Or, it could just be shoddy production values and editing. In fact, early in the film, they show a street scene in the city and all the cars (circa 1942) are old Model T Fords--obviously from stock footage!!! The bottom line is that the film is bad but also very dull. Unlike PLAN 9 FROM OUTER SPACE, it's hard to laugh at the ineptitude--just be put to sleep by it.
mlraymond
This priceless movie is one of the most entertaining pieces of wartime hokum ever put on film. I can't say much about the storyline without risking giving away the whole movie. Let's just say that a very mysterious foreigner comes to stay at the house of a doctor in Washington, during the Second World War, and arouses great curiosity among everyone he meets. A group of supposedly respectable businessmen are actually involved in Fifth Column sabotage of the American war effort, and the cryptic Monsieur Colomb is bumping them off, one by one, for reasons of his own. This movie is an absolute gas, with a lot of deliberate humor. Lugosi has many great sinisterly funny lines, and it's truly one of his best roles in Forties B pictures. He seems to be having great fun throughout the movie, and revels in his villainy so much that the viewer can't help but cheer him on. There's even a surprising hint of sexuality that's very rare for an old movie, just lightly suggested, but nonetheless there. The pretty young niece of the doctor is intrigued by Lugosi and flirts with him in one scene, where he seems tempted to have a brief romance with her. The stalwart FBI man played by Clayton Moore ( later television's Lone Ranger) is interested in the girl and a bit jealous of her attraction to Lugosi. This film is just so much fun, every lover of old serials and Forties wartime morale-boosting movies should see it. For Lugosi fans, this is one of his most enjoyable performances. Check it out!
AD
