Dick Barton: Special Agent

Based on the popular B.B.C. radio serial, this first film in Hammer's Dick Barton series is a real disappointment, failing to capture the spirit of the character, the formula ruined by too much dumb humour and a script that relies on coincidence to drive the plot. It also suffers from terrible direction and clumsy editing, director Alfred J. Goulding's previous experience in quickie shorts and slapstick comedy not suited to the action/adventure genre.

The plot sees Barton (Don Stannard) and his sidekick Snowey White (George Ford) travelling to the fishing village of Echo Bay where they come up against Nazis who are planning to introduce deadly bacteria into the UK's water supplies. With very broad performances from both the baddies and Barton's companions from the outset, this is all way too silly to be genuinely exciting, and the script's contrivances only make things even harder to take seriously. The accidental delivery of lobsters to Barton and friends is possibly the worst offender - the discovery of valuables inside the shellfish conveniently tipping off the special agent that something is very wrong in Echo Bay - but there are plenty of other daft moments to spoil the film, including several lame attempts on Barton's life by a pair of bumbling henchman (who use a poison tipped dart - of the type found in pubs).

2.5/10, generously rounded up to 3 for this unintentionally amusing line uttered by the film's token babe Jean Hunter (Gillian Maude): "It's no use, Betsy... I can't stand this any longer. I'm going out to look for Dick."