The Saint Meets the Tiger (1943)

everything you have heard about this movie is true.

I like movies that are aware of what they are selling... without [any] greater aspirations than to make people laugh and that's it.

It's hard to see any effort in the film. There's no comedy to speak of, no real drama and, worst of all.

Each character in this movie — down to the smallest one — is an individual rather than a type, prone to spontaneous changes of mood and sometimes amusing outbursts of pettiness or ill humor.

The eighth and final Saint film from RKO. Well, technically it was released here by Republic but it was produced by RKO two years earlier and sat on the shelf while the studio worked out its legal issues with Saint creator Leslie Charteris. It's also the worst movie of the series, although still perfectly watchable. The plot has the Saint up against a villain called the Tiger. That's pretty much all you need to know to realize this isn't going to be much more than a generic programmer. Returning as the Saint is charmless Hugh Sinclair. His comic relief sidekick this time is valet Horace, played by Wylie Watson. He's an improvement over the last sidekick but not by much. Pretty Jean Gillie is the would-be love interest Pat Holmes. Apparently this character was a bigger deal in the Saint books but is just now making an appearance in this series. Gillie does a fine job and arguably has the most personality of anyone in the cast. But her banter and romance with the dull Sinclair is never very believable or interesting. Everything is very 1940s British, staid and mannered and leisurely paced. The story isn't particularly strong but they shove enough humor and action in to keep it your interest.

The action starts quickly: Simon Templar receives a phone call from a nervous stranger who mentions a million pounds. The doorbell rings. Templar opens the door and a man falls into his arms. The dying man hangs on just long enough to say something about "the Tiger" and the city of Baycombe….The pace never slows down much from there, as the Saint takes a cottage in Baycombe and digs into a mystery involving a shipment of stolen gold bars, a mysterious mastermind known as the Tiger, and a group of ordinary-looking Baycombe residents mixed up in it all. A game cast maintains a lively pace and a light tone in this enjoyable adventure. Wylie Watson is Horace, the Saint's new butler, a mystery lover looking for some excitement in a job. Jean Gillie is Pat Holm, the girl on the case, also eager for adventure and sporting a hairdo that's always falling across her face so she has to keep shaking it out of her eyes. Horace and Pat team up, thinking they'll catch the crooks on their own while the Saint is off working with…Gordon McLeod, returning as Inspector Teal, also in Baycombe on the missing gold case (and trying unsuccessfully to work undercover as a vacationing professor). As usual, Teal is torn between arresting the Saint and asking for his help.Hugh Sinclair is more than passable in his second and final go-around as Simon Templar. Sinclair's Saint is breezy, lanky and a fast talker. And confident—like when he's working a roomful of suspects and a policeman tells him, "I'll have to ask you to come along with me, Mr. Templar," and he just says, "Oh, I think not," and goes right on talking….Overall, there's not a whole lot to it but it's certainly pleasant enough.Note: I always like watching movie thieves handle stolen gold bricks. Movie gold bars are really heavy!

This entry begins with an intriguing opening--a man is found dead on Simon's doorstep and immediately Simon calls an inspector who, as usual, suspects Simon is holding out and knows more than he cares to reveal about the murder of a well-known bookie. Inspector Teal also has a confrontational moment with Simon's innocent butler."But I don't know anything," says Simon's butler."If you say that again, I'll arrest you on suspicion." Simon refers to his butler as a man who "sees the world through crime-colored glasses." The attempts at humor are as dull as the script.Unfortunately, HUGH SINCLAIR as "The Saint", has none of the charisma of either a George Sanders or a Tom Conway, which is a huge drawback and JEAN GILLIE is so-so as the romantic interest. Her instant dislike of Simon is a bit overdone. "I didn't recognize you without your halo," she tells him by way of apology.Nothing much happens that hasn't happened in a dozen other "Saint" movies as Simon attempts to find stolen gold and expose a crime boss called The Tiger. "Crooks work in the most select circles these days," he says, on the trail of gold thieves, while he moves through upper crust society.Once again, Inspector Teal comes close to arresting Simon for murder in a cat-and-mouse game. All the other familiar ingredients are here too, with Simon making escapes from the bad guys in incredible fashion. But I was already weary of the plot by the time it got to the smuggler's cave of gold. The revelation of The Tiger is only a modest surprise.Summing up: Moves quickly, but only moderately satisfying for "Saint" fans.

"The Saint Meets The Tiger" features competent British acting circa 1940's but is just not up to the high expectations you might have after seeing the George Sanders "Saint" series.There is nothing really wrong with Hugh Sinclair's acting but it seems he would be more suited for one of those tough British wartime roles as a heroic commander or something like that. He is more in the strong military or policeman mold rather than the suave Saint type as personified by the smooth, charismatic Sanders. Jean Gillie is cute and youthfully energetic as the female lead and does a fine job of perking up this movie.The overall story is outstanding as the Saint is on the trail of a crime ring and coyly infiltrates the inner workings of a small coastal town to look for stolen gold. I don't regard this movie as slow, but you could consider it methodical and geared for mystery/crime fans, and competently directed and plotted to showcase the well-conceived story.If you are expecting an example of beautiful 1940's black-and-white cinematography you won't find it here. The movie seems more "grey-and-white", at least the print of it I saw on TV. A shame.Die-hard Saint fans should be satisfied as the movie seems to make a great effort to remain true to its book-series roots.