This is a small, humorous movie in some ways, but it has a huge heart. What a nice experience.

Let me be very fair here, this is not the best movie in my opinion. But, this movie is fun, it has purpose and is very enjoyable to watch.

All of these films share one commonality, that being a kind of emotional center that humanizes a cast of monsters.

It is encouraging that the film ends so strongly.Otherwise, it wouldn't have been a particularly memorable film

This is pretty good. Dick Powell is a high-level agent of the Bureau of Narcotics who tracks down opium from Shanghai to to Egypt to Cuba to New York. It's a tangled but believable tale in which he uncovers an intricate network of opium from its extraction from poppies through it refinement, shipping, and delivery in New York. It doesn't look as exotic as it sounds because except for some shots aboard a liner at sea, we only see locations through the lens of the second unit.Dick Powell is in his hard-boiled mode here. He gets conked on the head twice. He gets conked on the head in every hard-boiled movie he's ever made. In "Murder, My Sweet," when he is conked on the head, his narration gives us Raymond Chandler's prose: "a dark pool opened up at my feet and I fell in," and we see a dark pool opening at his feet. Then we see him fall in. Here, during his two conks, there are only dissolves. They lack poetry.It makes a hero out of Harry Anslinger, head of the narcotics bureau, and almost turns him into President-for-Life of the FBI, J. Edgar Hoover. Well, there has to be a hero at the top, but the fact is that Anslinger was, as one critic called him, "a notorious bonehead" who put marijuana in the same class as heroin. It was all hard narcotics to Anslinger, part of a widespread plot to sap our will to fight.It's a fascinating tale, really, given the Hollywood treatment. It opens with the murder of a hundred or so Chinese slaves being deep sixed on a heavy chain, like the slaves of yore, so it gets your attention and keeps it all the way through. Of course, this being Hollywood, we have to live with Vladimir Sokolov as a Chinese guy, trying to speak English with a Chinese accent while disguising his native Russian phones.

Every time I looked to see how much time was left I'd say - dammit. Wish it could have gone on longer. Not sure why this one isn't more well known. Opens in that semi-documentary style, but after that it turns into a top-notch film. Story is complex enough without being confusing, entire cast is good. As much as I enjoyed Powell's been-there-done-that kinda attitude in "Murder, My Sweet", I like him better here, where it's more subtle, plus I like how his character is able to show a little more genuine surprise as the story unfolds. Hate reviews that give away stuff, and I don't mean just give away the important stuff, I mean give away anything. Totally stubborn about that, more than anyone I know. Sorry, not gonna say anything about this plot except that the title sums it up well enough. Much better than most 40s-50s international intrigue BS like "Beat the Devil" or "Rope of Sand". If you can slog through that crap you need to watch this. Most everything I watch these days are old crime thrillers, and as much as I enjoy them, a lot don't hold up well over time. This is an exception, no question. I hardly ever write reviews here - honestly, I don't even know if I've even done one, that's how much I care about putting them down. Felt compelled to in this case.

This film is great from start to finish as it outlines the ingenious methods used by the drug traders. Some harrowing scenes as the Chinese slaves (being smuggled to pick poppies) are disposed of. A freighter of doubtful origin is spotted off the U.S. coastline. The coastguard investigates and as it draws near, the captain of the coast guard cutter is witness to a most appalling scene. The slaves beingsmuggled are underneath a large tarp on the deck of the freighter. The captain of the ship, realising the consequences of his human cargo, decides to remove the evidence. The slaves are shackled to the anchor chain which is now released into the ocean. The fate of the slaves is sealed and the proof of the illegal cargo is removed. The matter is reported and from then until the end of the film, it is non stop action and intrigue. Dick Powell is the narcotics agent assigned to the task of tracking down the drug growers and dealers. It is a very involved film with lots of surprises (do not blink). A great twist at the end.

In some ways, it is very much ahead of its time. In the first few minutes, you'll know you are watching a very well done movie. The scene where the slaves go overboard and it motivates Dick Powell to track down the murderer is enough to get you interested. Every time, Powell gets nearer something happens to sidetrack him. The predications about drugs and South America are extraordinary, given that over 50 years has elapsed. The way of smuggling the drugs is very clever. I recommend this movie because of its suspense and its ability to draw you into it.