Entertaining movie based on characters created by Leslie Charteris. The movie is not based on any Charteris story. Louis Hayward makes a smooth Simon Templar. The Saint is trying to find out who murdered an old girlfriend.
Simon gets a cable from Judy Fenton. She’s in trouble. Simon catches a plane from New York to London. His friendly enemy from Scotland Yard, Inspector Claude Teal, isn’t happy to see him back. Simon finds out that Judy is dead and was the victim of a mob involved in gambling, His valet Hoppy will help him out. Simon has fun ditching the man Teal has following him. Now it’s time to get serious.
Simon goes to his friend Irish. He’s an artist and makes up some counterfeit bills for him. Now he makes the round of nightclubs looking for some gambling. At this time it was illegal. Finally he makes a connection through Carol Denby. She takes him to a barge which is a gambling club. He was blindfolded halfway there.
It’s not long before he’s recognized by club manager Max Lannar. He has him tossed out. Simon had the last laugh since he lost the phony bills at the roulette wheel. Simon knows there a mysterious figure known as “The Chief” who heads the mob. No one has seen him. He discovers that Carol is being blackmailed to find customers for the club.
One night he’s searches Lannar’s apartment and finds a map of a country estate. He also finds a blonde bombshell (Diana Dors). She phoned Lannar when she spotted Simon searching the place. He told her to keep him there. She does but of course Simon escapes.
He goes out to the estate and there’s Carol. She left a message with Hoppy that she couldn’t keep their date for that night. He also comes across Keith, a young man in debt to the mob. He asks Carol to be his girl Friday and help him investigate. She takes off.
There’s some good action along the way as Hayward returns to the role after sixteen years. He was in the first, “The Saint In New York” in 1938. On TV he portrayed Michael Lanyard in “The Lone Wolf” (1954-55).
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