Mystery Liner Reviews

This film is a fine example of a well-made thriller created on the programmer assembly line. Several different story threads are neatly woven together in an intriguing and tightly controlled mystery that takes place aboard a luxury liner. There's murder, mayhem, a seemingly mad captain (well played by Beery), and the secret testing of a new invention that could revolutionize naval warfare--the S-505 tube, a device that can control ships automatically. When a couple of murdered corpses are found, clues point to several suspects with a variety of motivations. There are a few obvious characters who just may have pulled off the crime, but the ending is a real surprise. Veteran director William Nigh does a typically professional job with the few resources at his disposal and cinematographer Archie Stout (who would eventually win an Oscar for his work on John Ford's THE QUIET MAN, 1952) contributes some exceptional camerawork.