Movie spotlight
Third and final film in the 'Inspector Hornleigh’ series of comedy-thrillers. Inspector Hornleigh (Gordon Harker), disappointed at not being handed an important spy case, is assigned by Scotland Yard to an army barracks to investigate the mundane thefts of supplies from the stores. This accidentally leads Hornleigh and Sergeant Bingham (Alastair Sim) to a nest of fifth columnists when his dim-witted assistant carelessly talks to a girl in the cafeteria – and that night, news of Hornleigh and Bingham’s arrival is embarrassingly transmitted back to Germany.
Inspector Hornleigh is tasked with solving a series of mysterious sabotages at an aircraft factory during wartime. Despite the pressure and the seemingly baffling nature of the crimes, Hornleigh employs his characteristic blend of intuition and deduction. The investigation leads him through a series of comedic encounters and near misses as he works to uncover the culprit before more damage is done.
The film was generally well-received by critics at the time, praised for its lighthearted tone and engaging mystery, fitting well within the popular 'B-movie' crime genre of the era. Audiences appreciated the familiar presence of Inspector Hornleigh.
Praised for its light comedic touch.
Appreciated for its straightforward mystery plot.
Seen as a solid entry in the crime-comedy genre.
Google audience: Audience reception information for this specific film from 1941 is not widely available.
This film is the third and final installment in the Inspector Hornleigh film series, following 'Inspector Hornleigh' (1938) and 'Inspector Hornleigh on Holiday' (1939).
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This features an entertaining cast, a speeding train and some evil Nazis - and passes 90 minutes really quite well. It's down to the eponymous policeman (Gordon Harker) and his enthusiastic but bumbling, sidekick "Bingham" (Alastair Sim) to...