This Film about the World-Wide-Drug-Trade had to Attain "Special Permission" from the "Goody-Goody" Gatekeepers at the Motion Picture Production Code.
The Film-Makers "Dared" to Tell the Story of Opium Operations Around the Globe.
Tell it they Did.
The Plot is Intricate, Involved, and Extremely Complicated.
With Multiple Players, Locations.
Also an Almost Encyclopedic Explanations of the Growing, Harvesting, and Shipping of Opium.
The Poppy Plant Plays a Major Star in this "Police Procedural".
With Dick Powell Laying Out the Story as a Determined Treasury Agent.
Powell also Supplies an Immense Amount of Explanatory Voice-Over.
Frankly is a Needed Relief because there is so Much Going On.
The Movie Grabs Hold of the Audience at the Outset with a Brutal Mass-Execution of Drug-Slaves Aboard a Japanese Ship.
It Never Let's Up on the Web of Intrigue, Sacrifice, and Danger.
Facing All Decent Members of the "Human Race", as Powell is Want to Tell Us with some Sermonizing.
The Sprawling Cast is Anchored by Powell with Good Support from All.
The Globe-Hopping Following the Distribution is Interesting and Full of Detail both Verbally and Visually.
The Film is Long and Requires Attention to Fully Appreciate.
There's a Twist Ending that No-One will See Coming.
More than Worth a Watch.
It's Essential Viewing for its Place Breaking with the Code.
That Help to Spearhead the Slow but Steady Post-War Film Industry Trek,
Cracking the Code One-Year and One-Taboo at a Time.
The Film-Makers "Dared" to Tell the Story of Opium Operations Around the Globe.
Tell it they Did.
The Plot is Intricate, Involved, and Extremely Complicated.
With Multiple Players, Locations.
Also an Almost Encyclopedic Explanations of the Growing, Harvesting, and Shipping of Opium.
The Poppy Plant Plays a Major Star in this "Police Procedural".
With Dick Powell Laying Out the Story as a Determined Treasury Agent.
Powell also Supplies an Immense Amount of Explanatory Voice-Over.
Frankly is a Needed Relief because there is so Much Going On.
The Movie Grabs Hold of the Audience at the Outset with a Brutal Mass-Execution of Drug-Slaves Aboard a Japanese Ship.
It Never Let's Up on the Web of Intrigue, Sacrifice, and Danger.
Facing All Decent Members of the "Human Race", as Powell is Want to Tell Us with some Sermonizing.
The Sprawling Cast is Anchored by Powell with Good Support from All.
The Globe-Hopping Following the Distribution is Interesting and Full of Detail both Verbally and Visually.
The Film is Long and Requires Attention to Fully Appreciate.
There's a Twist Ending that No-One will See Coming.
More than Worth a Watch.
It's Essential Viewing for its Place Breaking with the Code.
That Help to Spearhead the Slow but Steady Post-War Film Industry Trek,
Cracking the Code One-Year and One-Taboo at a Time.