Puppet on a Chain Reviews

Taube is a tough-as-nails narcotics agent who heads off to Amsterdam in order to crack a drug smuggling operation. Along with his assistant, Parkins, he goes to work and uncovers a trail that leads to a strange puppet-making religious order. Parkins is killed--strangled with a chain--and Taube is knocked out. He manages to escape and heads back for Amsterdam. This leads to a climactic boat chase as he tries to prevent the smugglers from escaping from his sight. The boat chase is an exciting sequence, well filmed and crackling with energy. Unfortunately, the same can't be said about the rest of the film. The script (by Maclean, adapted from his own novel) is full of implausibilities and cardboard characters. The actors contribute to the problems with their lifeless performances. Direction remains slow-paced until the film's climactic ending.